Council Bluffs human trafficking investigation nets 3 arrests

(Council Bluffs) -- Three people faces charges in connection with a human trafficking investigation in Council Bluffs.

Council Bluffs Police say officers in conjunction with the Iowa Human Trafficking Task Force, participated in Operation Coast to Coast, a coordinated, multi-state, anti-human trafficking enforcement effort Thursday. The operation involved hundreds of law enforcement agencies and partner organizations across dozens of states and focused on identifying individuals seeking to purchase commercial sex, as well as those who exploit or target vulnerable individuals, including children.

The investigation resulted in the arrests of 47-year-old Leon D. Hartsock Jr., 41-year-old Efrain Gandara, and 35-year-old Daniel T. Veach, all of Omaha, for prostitution--purchases services, an aggravated misdemeanor. Veach was also arrested for possession of a controlled substance--methamphetamine, a serious misdemeanor.

All three suspects are being held in the Pottawattamie County Jail.