A total of 84 children and 141 adults were rescued from sex trafficking rings in an FBI-led operation over the past two weeks, conducted by 200 federal, state and local agencies, across 391 operations, and included victim specialists. and forensic interviewers of children and adolescents.
The
Cross Country
operation located 84 children "victims of crimes of child sex trafficking and sexual exploitation," according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
In total
, 85 people
involved in these networks were arrested in states such as Georgia and Tennessee.
Of the 84 children, 37 had been reported missing.
The average age of those rescued is 15 years old and the youngest victim is 11 years old.
"I am grateful to the dedicated professionals of the FBI and our law enforcement partners across the country for their tireless work to rescue trafficking survivors, including exploited children, to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of trafficking crimes, and to provide the services and support survivors need and deserve," said Attorney General Merrick Garland.
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In Atlanta, the FBI assured that 19 missing minors were located, resulting in the capture of four traffickers.
In Tennessee, the operation included locating sex offenders who locate minors on
the Internet and searching for a 17-year-old girl who may be at "high risk" of falling into these networks.
Image of an FBI video explaining the 'Cross Country' operation and its results. FBI
"We're going to follow those leads and see if we can find her and hopefully get her to a safe place and get her some resources... I'm hopeful there's still time for some good services for her," said one of the specialists at the FBI.
Prosecutor Garland added that these
"crimes --against adults and children-- are much more common than most people believe"
and that after the operation they will accompany the victims.
"The FBI and our partners will continue to find and stop traffickers," the prosecutor added.