POULSBO — Police used social media to contact and arrest several people involved in prostitution July 30 at the Guesthouse Inn on the 1900 block of Seventh Avenue.

A man from Bremerton and a 29-year-old woman from Port Orchard were referred to the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office for charging for promoting prostitution. Six women were arrested for prostitution during the operation.

According to charging documents, the women agreed to perform various sexual activities for $150-$400 before they were arrested.

Police said the women later met with specialized staff and were offered assistance and services.

The operation focused on reducing human trafficking and prostitution, police said.

“With this kind of operation, we have three goals,” said Poulsbo Police Chief Al Townsend.  “First, to break the cycle for the women involved and get them into services. Second, to send the clear message that this activity is not tolerated in this area, and third, to go after the traffickers and stop the victimization.”

There have been operations in Bremerton, Port Orchard, and unincorporated Kitsap County involving this team in the past, and there will be future “stings” conducted as well.

Agencies involved the operation included Special Operations Group, a joint investigative unit of the Bremerton and Poulsbo Police Departments, as well as the FBI’s South Sound Child Exploitation Task Force, Coast Guard Investigative Services, WestNet through the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington State Patrol Missing and Exploited Children’s task Force, Port Orchard and Bainbridge Island Police departments, and the Washington State Department of Corrections.