
Recently, Minot police arrested and charged 8 people with crimes relating to prostitution.
The undercover operation was conducted Friday, February 22 in city limits.
Detective Dave Goodman says the charges ranged from solicitation of prostitution and prostitution, to possession of drug paraphernalia and methamphetamine.
Goodman says prostitution existed before the energy and economic boom but now it's become more prevalent.
He says the internet is the center piece for solicitation but some people have gone as far as placing business cards on car windshields.
(Dave Goodman, Detective Sgt.) "We're trying to send the message that we are here and we're going to do these investigations, and that we're going to do our best to not tolerate that, or this type of criminal behavior in our community."
Other cities in western North Dakota have already and continue to conduct undercover operations such as these targeting prostitution.
The most recent was in Dickinson this past January.