In just two weeks, in the middle of July, federal agents found and interviewed dozens of s*x trafficking victims and about 200 suspected traffickers.
In the month of July, the FBI assisted in the recovery of 59 missing children and victims of child s*x trafficking and s*xual exploitation. The name given to the two-week mission was Operation Cross Country.
A total of 126 individuals were identified or arrested during the investigation, 68 of whom were suspected of trafficking and 126 of whom were suspected of child s*xual exploitation.
The campaign did more than only reduce crime; it also brought attention to the issue of human trafficking. Special agents, forensic interviewers for children and adolescents, and others who specialize in working with victims all contributed.
The tweet below verifies the news:
The FBI found 200 s*x trafficking victims and more than 125 suspects during a two-week child exploitation operation in July, federal officials say. https://t.co/shjOpXaWCd
— NBC News (@NBCNews) August 1, 2023
“Human traffickers prey on the most vulnerable members of our society, and their crimes scar victims – many of them children – for life. The FBI’s commitment to combating this threat will never waver, and we will continue to send our message that these atrocities will not be tolerated,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.
When it comes to human trafficking, North Carolina is almost always in the top ten. Nearly half of all U.S. incidents of human trafficking were reported in only six states in 2020: California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia, Ohio, Michigan, and Missouri.
North Carolina ranked ninth with 260 recorded cases, behind only California, Texas, Florida, New York, Georgia, Ohio, and Missouri. WRAL News has asked the FBI how many North Carolina residents were victims or perpetrators in Operation Cross Country.
If you’re looking for crime news from across the state or the country, go no farther than The California Examiner.
Here is a small selection of the news from the past several weeks; each of these items is worthy of further research:
- School Shooting Suspect’s Father Dies 20 Years After MPD Incident
- A South Carolina Woman Who is Accused of Killing Her New Wife in a Drunken Car Crash is Not Given Bond
