Sixty ‘Critically Missing’ children rescued in covert human trafficking sting by US Marshalls in Florida

Minors aged 9 to 17, were all recovered from the Tampa Bay area in Florida by a joint state and federal operation, with several of the children reportedly, pregnant

‘Operation Dragon Eye,’ is lauded as ‘the most successful missing child recovery effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service’

Five men, two women and one unidentified person,were arrested and charged with human trafficking, child endangerment, narcotics possession, and custodial interference

Suspects, most in their late thirties and forties, in some cases were denied bond, for some others, bond was set up to $250 million

Florida Dept of Children and Families warned that most of these victims, aged 11 to 17, were lured through online platforms

Sixty missing children have been rescued from a human trafficking ring following a covert sting across multiple counties in Florida, authorities announced.
The kids, aged 9 to 17-years-old, were all recovered from the Tampa Bay area in an operation led by the US Marshals Office for the Middle District of Florida.
A number of young girls who were rescued in the sting dubbed operation ‘Dragon Eye’ earlier this month were pregnant, authorities said.
Eight people – five men, two women and one unknown – were arrested in connection to the alleged kidnapping ring and were charged with human trafficking, child endangerment, narcotics possession, and custodial interference.
Suspects were given bonds ranging from no bond to $250 million.

Addressing the media on Monday, following the successful operation, state Attorney General General James Uthmeier remarked that ‘The real heroes behind this operation are the law enforcement who built and executed this mission. As a father of three young kids, protecting children is my top priority.
‘If you victimize children, you’re going to prison, end of story,’ Uthmeier emphasized.
The operation was jointly operated by twenty agencies in a two week span to save children, deemed ‘critically missing’.
This categorization by the the US Marshals Service means that those children are at a risk of being the victims of violent crimes, substance abuse, sexual exploitation or domestic violence, as happened to some of rescued victims: ‘Several children that were recovered during this operation were pregnant, one such child, a girl, just barely beginning her own life and yet she was carrying a life inside of her. The baby, actually, of her trafficker,’ said Natasha Nascimento, the president and founder of Redefining Refuge, a non profit dedicated to supporting human trafficking victims.
Nascimento, whose team is providing support to the victims, thanked the officers in the room for protecting the girl and her unborn child.

‘Now because of you, a baby has the opportunity to be born addiction free. This child was forced to use substances by her trafficker throughout her pregnancy,’ Nascimento said.
‘A baby gets to be born to a mom who’s not being sold every day and a baby gets to have a story that doesn’t start with trauma but that starts with recovery,’ she added. 
William Berger, US Marshal for the Middle District of Florida, lauded Dragon Eye, as ‘the most successful missing child recovery effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service’.
Berger added that the youth were provided ‘physical and psychological care’.
‘This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youths will not return back to the streets to be further victimized,’ he said.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement [FDLE], was also involved in the operation, with Commissioner Mark Glass assuring parents of still-missing children that his agents will continue the search: ‘Sixty kids saved. That number sends the message that Florida will never be a safe place for traffickers. 
‘At FDLE, we will continue to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. And to any family still missing their child, we will never stop searching until we make sure they are brought home safely,’ the FDLE Commissioner said.
Florida’s Office of Statewide Prosecution has been assigned the task of prosecuting the criminal complaints filed against the eight defendants, with assistance from states in the Sixth and Thirteenth Judicial Circuits.
Special Counsel Rita Peters has been tasked with prosecuting the human trafficking case against the eight suspects. As of now, investigations are ongoing in two other human trafficking cases.
With over 1,830 signals called into the the National Human Trafficking Hotline in the last year, which led to the identification of 1,874 victims, Florida has one of the highest number of reported human trafficking cases in the nation, alongside California and Texas.
Florida Department of Children and Families has warned that most victims fall into the 11 to 17 age bracket, while noting that often the minors were lured through online platforms.