SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Attorney General's Office along with the Asian Association of Utah announced a $1.2 million grant to go toward fighting human trafficking in the state.
That federal grant money will allow the AG's Secure Strike Force to continue looking into reports of human trafficking.
It will also provide money to help those who have been victimized, something which is sorely needed, according to the officers who work these cases.
The Secure Strike Force began its mission roughly six years ago investigating crimes in our immigrant communities.
But in the early years they mainly dealt with fraudulent ID mills, drug and gun cases.
Over the last couple of years they have basically stumbled onto several human trafficking rings; some have been disguised as massage parlors others involved individuals blackmailing people into sexual slavery.
The cases are complex and time consuming.
But the AG wants the task force to continue focusing on them and the officers say this grant money will be a huge help in that effort.
The grant money will be divided, nearly $900,000 to the law-enforcement aspect of those investigations.
While the Asian Association of Utah will receive $400,000 as the victims service provider.
