Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the largest child rescue operation in United States history alongside state officials at a press conference in Tampa on Monday. Coined as "Operation Dragon Eye," the operation saved 60 children in two weeks from human trafficking.
"Today we announced the successful completion of the largest child rescue operation in Florida history," Uthmeier said. "We rescued 60 kids, many victims of horrible violence and human trafficking. As we help these kids recover, we’ll keep fighting with everything we’ve got to protect our kids."
According to Bill Berger, U.S. Marshall in the Middle District of Florida, the children rescued were between nine and 17 years old. He also indicated eight people were arrested and charged with crimes ranging from “human trafficking, child endangerment, drug possession and trafficking.”
"When arrested, they were given bonds ranging from no bond to 250,000 million dollars bond. I have never heard of that before," Berger said.
Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Taylor Hatch added that she was proud to work alongside its federal, state, and local partners to rescue vulnerable children, saying DCF would continue to "mobilize support for their well-being."
"The DCF team provided critical information, helped shape recovery protocols, deploy child protective investigators, criminal justice coordinators, and human trafficking specialists to support this mission in real time to ensure that every child recovered was met with care and was met with compassion," Hatch said.
Other state officials at the press conference included Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass and Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Human Trafficking Intervention Director Katherine Gomez.
"Operation Dragon Eye is a powerful example of what we can achieve when we come together with urgency and with shared purpose. Thanks to your efforts, 60 children, as you have heard, are now safe and supported, and that is something everyone should be proud of," Hatch added.
