Sixty missing children rescued in Tampa Bay area anti-trafficking investigation

Florida authorities rescued 60 missing children during an anti-trafficking operation in the Tampa Bay area, according to a Monday news release from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier. The children, ranging in age from 9 to 17, were given physical and psychological care, U.S. Marshall William Berger said in the statement. The group included 17 boys and 43 girls. Many of the children suffered violence as well as human trafficking, Uthmeier said on Monday.

Did authorities catch any perpetrators? Law enforcement nabbed eight suspects on charges including human trafficking, child endangerment, drug possession, and drug trafficking. Two other human trafficking cases are still under investigation, according to the news release. About 20 agencies participated in the two-week investigation, dubbed Operation Dragon Eye, Uthmeier said.

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