FBI sex trafficking enforcement effort nets 2 arrests locally, finds 7 adolescent victims in Hawaiʻi

The FBI, working with its state and local partners during two weeks in August, identified and located 84 minor victims of child sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation offenses, and located 37 actively missing children during a nationwide enforcement campaign, dubbed “Operation Cross Country.”

Locally, FBI agents from the Honolulu Division identified and located seven adolescent victims during this operation that ran on Aug. 12, 2022. They worked with law enforcement partners from the United States Secret Service, Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office, and the Honolulu Police Department, as well as Missing Child Center Hawaiʻi, State of Hawaiʻi Child Welfare Services, and the Susanna Wesley Community Center.

“Operation Cross Country highlights the importance of working with our law enforcement partners in locating and recovering these seven keiki, along with the arrest of two traffickers,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill. “These tireless efforts will now allow these keiki to get back on the right track with the assistance of the FBI’s victim specialists, MCCH, CWS, and SWCC.”

The FBI-led nationwide initiative focused on identifying and locating victims of sex trafficking and investigating and arresting individuals and criminal enterprises involved in both child sex trafficking and human trafficking.

In addition to the identification and location of adolescent victims, the FBI and its partners located 141 adult victims of human trafficking. Agents and investigators also identified or arrested 85 suspects with child sexual exploitation and human trafficking offenses. Those suspects identified will be subject to additional investigation for potential charges.

The average age of victims located during this year’s Operation Cross Country was 15.5, while the youngest victim discovered was 11 years old.

“Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes the FBI encounters,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Unfortunately, such crimes—against both adults and children—are far more common than most people realize. As we did in this operation, the FBI and our partners will continue to find and arrest traffickers, identify and help victims, and raise awareness of the exploitation of our most vulnerable populations.”

As part of Operation Cross Country XII, FBI special agents, intelligence analysts, victim specialists, and child adolescent forensic Interviewers working in conjunction with over 200 state, local, and federal partners and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) conducted 391 operations over the two-week period.

“The Justice Department is committed to doing everything in our power to combat the insidious crimes of human trafficking that devastate survivors and their families,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful to the dedicated professionals of the FBI and our law enforcement partners across the country for their tireless work to rescue trafficking survivors, including exploited children, to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of trafficking crimes, and to provide the services and support that survivors need and deserve.”

“The success of Operation Cross County reinforces what NCMEC sees every day. Children are being bought and sold for sex in communities across the country by traffickers, gangs, and even family members,” said Michelle DeLaune, President and CEO National Center for Missing & Exploited Children “We’re proud to support the FBI’s efforts to prioritize the safety of children. This national operation highlights the need for all child serving professionals to continue to focus on the wellbeing of children and youth to prevent them from being targeted in the first place.”

Victim specialists provide a “bridge” for victims who are wary of the system, help the victim establish positive relationships with law enforcement, and ensure the human trafficking victim population receives any appropriate resources available to them.

Resources:

• Victim Services Division
• Crimes Against Children
• Department of Justice Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section