3 arrested in Washington as 84 children rescued in nationwide sex-trafficking sting

An FBI national operation – with 84 sexually-exploited children rescued and 120 traffickers  arrested – includes victims and suspects in Washington state.

Operation Cross Country XI shared its annual busts in several cities across the country on Wednesday. National and local law enforcement officials spent four days last week focusing on recovering underage victims of prostitution.

Operations in Washington happened in King, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, and Spokane counties.

Two people were arrested in Kent, and one was arrested in Burlington. They are suspected of commercially exploiting children and adults.

Thirty-two women were contacted, and authorities said they found some were forced into prostitution as children. All victims were referred to housing, counseling, and medical assistance.

Interviews with these woman gave big leads toward identifying other children being exploited.

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“We at the FBI have no greater mission than to protect our nation’s children from harm,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said. “Unfortunately, the number of traffickers arrested—and the number of children recovered—reinforces why we need to continue to do this important work.”

The average age of the victims recovered from this year's operation is 15, the FBI officials said. Traffickers would offer the victims to outsiders from hotels, truck stops or from online.

Operation Cross Country is part of the FBI’s Innocence Lost National Initiative, which began in 2003. Since its creation, the program has resulted in the identification and recovery of more than 6,000 children from child sex trafficking, and prosecutors have obtained 30 life sentences in cases against traffickers and their associates.

Cox Media Group