Kent Police were part of the FBI Seattle Division task force that recovered three child victims and arrested nine people in Western Washington for investigation of child abuse and related crimes as part of a Operation Cross Country nationwide crackdown to address commercial child sex trafficking.
Operations took place July 24-28 in Everett, Federal Way, Kirkland, Lakewood, Renton, Seattle, Tacoma, Tukwila and throughout King County, according to an FBI Seattle Division media release. Victims and the pimps travel throughout Western Washington to work and do not necessarily reside in the area where they were located.
“Child prostitution remains a persistent threat to children across America,” said Ron Hosko, assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “This operation serves as a reminder that these abhorrent crimes can happen anywhere and that the FBI remains committed to stopping this cycle of victimization and holding the criminals who profit from this exploitation accountable.”
The multi-agency Child Exploitation Task Forces (CETFs), working with additional partnering agencies, made contact with young women involved in prostitution through the use of undercover agents and detectives and by canvassing areas where street prostitution is known to occur.
All the women and girls recovered by law enforcement officials were offered a variety of services within the community, such as job training, housing, counseling, and medical and education assistance.
The FBI Seattle Division works with law enforcement partners on three dedicated Child CETFs in Washington state, based in Seattle, Everett and Tacoma.
The Central Sound CETF is a partnership between the FBI; the King County Sheriff’s Office; and the Seattle, Kent, SeaTac, Port of Seattle and Bellevue Police Departments.
In Washington, the CETFs identified and interviewed 55 adults engaged in prostitution, and recovered large sums of cash, two guns, a knife, a Taser, and a number of stolen identification cards.
As part of the sweep in 76 cities across the nation, 105 sexually exploited children were recovered and 159 pimps were arrested on state and federal charges.
Forty-seven FBI divisions took part in Operation Cross Country VII, along with more than 3,900 local, state, and federal law enforcement officers and agents representing 230 separate agencies.
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