The two-week operation involved twenty agencies and apprehended trafficking, drugs, and child endangerment suspects.
The U.S. Marshals Office for the Central District of Florida and Florida Attorney General James Uthermeier announced the successful completion of Operation Dragon Eye last week. Authorities rescued 60 “critically missing children” between the ages of 9 and 17 in the Tampa Bay area, arresting suspects for child exploitation, sex trafficking, and narcotics.
The U.S. Marshals Service describes children who are “critically missing” as “those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure or domestic violence.”
“The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care,” said U.S. Marshal William Berger. “This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youths will not return back to the streets to be further victimized.”
“The real heroes behind this operation are the law enforcement who built and executed this mission,” Attorney General Uthmeier stated. “As your Attorney General and a father of three young kids, protecting children is my top priority. If you victimize children, you’re going to prison, end of story.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For federal law enforcement as they seek to end child trafficking and prosecute perpetrators.
- For Attorney General Bondi, FBI Director Patel, and Acting U.S. Marshals Service Director Pitella as they coordinate rescue operations with state officials.
Sources: Fox News, USA Today, PJ Media
