FBI rescues more than 200 trafficking victims, including 84 children, in “Operation Cross Country”

Law enforcement throughout the nation rescued more than 200 intercourse trafficking victims, including 84 youngsters, in a nationwide sweep dubbed “Operation Cross Country,” the FBI introduced Monday. The youngest sufferer was 11 years outdated.  

Authorities positioned 84 victims of kid intercourse trafficking, in addition to 37 youngsters that have been actively lacking through the marketing campaign, the FBI stated. Law enforcement officers additionally positioned 141 grownup victims of human trafficking.  

In 2021, more than half of all trafficking victims in the U.S. have been minors, according to the Human Trafficking Institute. In a press release Monday, FBI Director Christopher Wray referred to as intercourse trafficking “among the most heinous crimes” the company encounters.  

“Unfortunately, such crimes — against both adults and children — are far more common than most people realize,” Wray stated. “As we did in this operation, the FBI and our partners will continue to find and arrest traffickers, identify and help victims, and raise awareness of the exploitation [of] our most vulnerable populations.” 

“Operation Cross Country” represents only one coordinated marketing campaign, as officers say the company and its companions work to research and cease trafficking daily.  

“The initiative really just takes a concentrated period of time where we’re just focused on the problem of child sex trafficking,” Section Chief Jose Perez, who oversees violent crime investigations in the FBI, said in a separate press release.  

More than 200 state, native, and federal companions in addition to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) performed 391 operations over a two-week interval in August. 

“The success of Operation Cross County reinforces what NCMEC sees every day. Children are being bought and sold for sex in communities across the country by traffickers, gangs and even family members,” Michelle DeLaune, the president and CEO of the NCMEC, stated. 

Investigators additionally recognized or arrested 85 suspects of kid sexual exploitation and human trafficking, officers say. 

“The Justice Department is committed to doing everything in our power to combat the insidious crimes of human trafficking that devastate survivors and their families,” Attorney General Merrick Garland stated.