Sex-Trafficking Crackdown Leads To VA Arrests

NORFOLK, VA — Eighty-five suspects face charges for human trafficking and child sexual exploitation — some of which took place in Virginia — the FBI said Monday. Law enforcement rescued 225 victims around the nation, including 84 children, during "Operation Cross Country," according to authorities.

In Virginia, FBI agents from the Norfolk Division worked with law enforcement partners from the Chesapeake Police Department and Virginia Beach Police Department and arrested three suspects on child exploitation charges during operations that ran from Aug. 4 to 7, according to an FBI news release.

The nationwide crackdown focused on finding victims of sex trafficking and arresting people and criminal enterprises involved, the FBI said. Federal authorities, their state and local partners, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children conducted 391 operations in the first two weeks of August.

In addition to the identification and location of adolescent victims, the FBI and its partners located 141 adult victims of human trafficking.

“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 three days, and we arrested three 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 in a news release.

Agents and investigators also identified or arrested 85 suspects with child sexual exploitation and human trafficking offenses. The average age of victims located during this year’s Operation Cross Country was 15.5, while the youngest victim discovered was 11 years old.

“Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes the FBI encounters,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Unfortunately, such crimes—against both adults and children—are far more common than most people realize. As we did in this operation, the FBI and our partners will continue to find and arrest traffickers, identify and help victims, and raise awareness of the exploitation of our most vulnerable populations.”

More than 200 state, local, and federal partners and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children conducted 391 operations over the two-week period.