HAMPTON ROADS, Va. - The FBI, with the help of state and local partners, has located missing children and victims of child sex trafficking during a nationwide campaign.Some suspects and victims have been found in local areas.
During two weeks in August, the FBI says they identified and located 84 minor victims of child sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation offenses and located 37 actively missing children. This was during a nationwide enforcement campaign, dubbed “Operation Cross Country.”
“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,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “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 the perpetrators of trafficking crimes, and to provide the services and support that survivors need and deserve.”
In addition to finding the child victims, the FBI and its partners located 141 adult victims of human trafficking. They also identified or arrested 85 suspects of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking offenses. Those suspects identified will be subject to additional investigation for potential charges. The average age of victims located in similar operations is about 15.5 years old, while the youngest victim discovered during this operation was 11 years old.
Locally, FBI agents from the Norfolk Division worked with law enforcement partners from the Chesapeake Police Department and Virginia Beach Police Department and arrested 3 suspects on child exploitation charges during operations that ran from August 4-7.
“Children are our most precious and vulnerable resource and protecting them from individuals who seek to exploit them remains one of this office’s priorities. Norfolk’s operations took place over 3 days, and we arrested 3 suspects. Our team is small, but we pack a big punch. The FBI, through our Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, will continue to work tirelessly to protect our nation’s children.,” said Special Agent in Charge Brian Dugan.
“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,” said Michelle DeLaune, President and CEO National Center for Missing & Exploited Children “We’re proud to support the FBI’s efforts to prioritize the safety of children. This national operation highlights the need for all child serving professionals to continue to focus on the wellbeing of children and youth to prevent them being targeted in the first place.”
The FBI provided WTKR News 3 with the following video of their operation:
Hidden in Plain Sight: Survivors share stories to help combat human trafficking in Hampton Roads