NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested 45 individuals in Louisiana as part of an operation related to an international human trafficking sting.
Operation Cross Country X is the FBI’s international effort focusing on underage human trafficking that ran for less than a week in October.
Among the 45 individuals arrested in the state, six pimps were caught with three juvenile victims used for prostitution by law enforcement.
Operations took place in a number of locations, including hotels, truck stops, and street corners. Minors recovered during an arrest are engaged with state protective services and victim assistance. Depending on the level of need, a law enforcement officer and, if available, an FBI victim specialist will accompany a survivor to obtain these services.
The operation not only collared human traffickers in the United States, but arrested individuals in Canada, Cambodia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
FBI officials said many of the juveniles used for prostitution who were recovered by investigators are from broken homes or are runaways.
The operation is the largest ever in the history of the initiative, with 55 FBI field offices and 74 Child Exploitation Task Forces representing more than 400 law enforcement organizations taking part in the operation.
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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