Man who authorities say was involved in international sex trafficking ring sentenced to more than 17 years in prison.

A man who authorities say was involved in an international sex trafficking ring was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison Monday.

Michael Morris, 66 of Seal Beach, Calif., was sentenced in the U.S. District Court in St. Paul following his trial conviction in December 2018. Four others were also convicted in the 2018 trial. Morris was allegedly involved in a sex trafficking organization that coerced hundreds of Thai women to engage in commercial sex acts across the country, including Minneapolis, according to a news release.

Prior to Morris’ trial, 31 defendants pleaded guilty. To date, 29 defendants have been sentenced, the release said.

According to the release, the women were forced to participate in the scheme through promises of a better life in the United States and the opportunity to provide money to their families in Thailand.

Where is human trafficking most common in California?Slavery is found throughout California, but major hubs are centered on Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco. According to the 2011 Department of State report, California, together with New York, Texas, and Oklahoma, has the largest concentrations of survivors of human trafficking.

The number of human trafficking victims in Orange County doubled between 2011 and 2013 as law enforcement officials sought to rout pimps, free prostitutes and break up human smuggling rings, county officials said today.

A report on trends in human trafficking was released today to coincide with the unveiling of a Orange County Transportation Authority a bus with wrap- around ad promoting public awareness of the issue.