The ninth Operation Cross Country effort
took place from October 6-10, and was the largest such coordinated
action against sex trafficking to date, the FBI said.
The operation, part of the FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative,
was aided by other federal law enforcement agencies and the National
Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
More than 500 law enforcement agents
took part in the operation, which targeted frequent spots for child
trafficking dealings, including casinos, hotels, and truck stops. The
youngest of the 149 victims recovered was 12 years old. Three victims
were transgender, and three were male.
“Our mission is to protect the American people – especially our children – from harm,” said FBI Director James Comey.
”When kids are treated as a commodity in
seedy hotels and on dark roadsides, we must rescue them from their
nightmare and severely punish those responsible for that horror. We
simply must continue to work with our partners to end the scourge of sex
trafficking in our country.”
Of the 135 cities involved in this
year’s Operation Cross Country, Denver had the most recovered victims,
with 20 rescued, while seven pimps were arrested in Colorado’s largest
city.
One of the rescued girls was being pimped on Colfax by a gang member. http://t.co/yuCnYNFZs3 pic.twitter.com/das7DINBEO— 7NEWS Denver Channel (@DenverChannel) October 13, 2015
“This is the second year in a row the
local operation recovered more juveniles than any other city in the
country,” said Denver FBI spokeswoman Deborah Sherman, according to KMGH.
Among the major cities involved in the
sting, Detroit had the second-most victims recovered (19). Officials in
Jacksonville, Florida, announced 25 arrests, according to WJXT.
Nearly 100 specialists from the FBI’s
Office for Victim Assistance provided immediate services to recovered
victims, including crisis counseling, food provisions, and medical
attention, the FBI said.
“Human trafficking is a monstrous and
devastating crime that steals lives and degrades our nation,” said US
Attorney General Loretta Lynch. “As a result of the FBI’s outstanding
coordination and exemplary efforts alongside state and local partners
during Operation Cross Country, more children will sleep safely tonight,
and more wrongdoers will face the judgment of our criminal justice
system.”
The Innocence Lost initiative has
recovered around 4,800 children since 2003, resulting in more than 2,000
convictions of pimps, customers, and others involved in sex
trafficking.
(via RT)
credit; trent news
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