The Star’s human trafficking project team

Earlier this year, when a massive federal indictment revealed that Kansas City had become a hub for trafficking, three reporters began investigating America’s track record on this growing international human rights problem.

The stories took reporters and a photographer from crowded Guatemalan migrant shelters to the deadly streets of Tijuana, Mexico.

Reporters also spent six months conducting hundreds of interviews and reviewing thousands of pages of court documents, as well as government records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Laura Bauer is a general assignment reporter and has worked at The Star for five years. Call her at 816-234-4944, or send e-mail to lbauer@kcstar.com.

Mike McGraw is a projects reporter and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1992 for a series on the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Call him at 816-234-4423, or send e-mail to mcgraw@kcstar.com.

Mark Morris is a federal courts reporter and co-author of “Fatal Error,” a New York Times and UPI Booklist best seller. Call him at 816-234-4310, or send e-mail to mmorris@kcstar.com.

Keith Myers is a staff photographer and winner of many awards. Call him at 816-516-9658, or send e-mail to kmyers@kcstar.com.

Bill Dalton, The Star’s political editor, edited the project. Call him at 816-234-4919, or send e-mail to bdalton@kcstar.com.

Don Munday edited the copy. Greg Branson,HectorCasanova and Dave Eames produced the graphics; Charles Gooch designed the pages.