Of the 33 children recovered during “Operation Lost Angels,” eight were sexually exploited at the time of recovery, the FBI said. The operation began on January 11.
Two children were found multiple times during the operation, the FBI said, noting that it is not uncommon for rescued victims to return to commercial sex trafficking “either voluntarily or by force, fraud, or coercion.”
“This damaging cycle highlights the challenges victims face and those that law enforcement faces when trying to prevent victims from returning to a situation of abuse. Victims may not identify themselves as human trafficking or may not even realize they are being trafficked”, said the FBI. statement said.
Some of the other victims who were located during the operation were sexually exploited in the past and were considered vulnerable missing children, the statement said.
A suspected human trafficker is being charged by the state as a result of the operation, and several other investigations have been opened, the FBI said.
Some of the rescued child victims “were arrested for probation violations, theft or other crimes,” while one child was the victim of a non-custodial parental abduction, the statement said.
January is human trafficking awareness month and the caseload “for both sexual and labor crimes has increased significantly in recent years,” the statement said.
“The FBI views human trafficking as modern day slavery and the minors engaged in commercial sex trafficking are considered victims,” said Kristi Johnson, deputy director in charge of the Los Angeles field office. “While this operation has been very successful in increasing resources within a limited period of time, the FBI and our partners are investigating the child sex trade every day of the year, around the clock.”
The operation involved the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and more than two dozen other law enforcement agencies, along with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the California Department of Child and Family Services, and victim support organizations. according to the FBI.
The FBI is working with its partners to provide resources to the rescued children, including medical care and legal services.
“Human trafficking is a pervasive and insidious crime that threatens the safety of our young people, who shape the future of our communities,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore. “We can only begin to take back the future of our youth with the strong partnerships forged between excellent service providers and law enforcement.”
CNN’s Carma Hassan and Elizabeth Joseph contributed to this report.