Created: February 19, 2021 06:12 PM Seven people have been charged in connection with an Itasca County sex exploitation scheme. A three-day sting led investigators to arrest men from Minnesota, Texas and Missouri. The Itasca County Sheriff's Office classified it as a human trafficking operation. Authorities say suspects chatted with undercover agents and investigators on several sex advertisement websites and arranged a meetup. All were then arrested and booked into the Itasca or Pennington county jails. Itasca County Attorney Matti Adam says the charges show there is demand to sexually exploit young people in northern Minnesota. Itasca County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Denise Hirt said the joint operation was a proactive effort.