Authorities rescued nearly three dozen missing children in Southern California during a human trafficking investigation, the FBI said.
Of the 33 children rescued as part of “Operation Lost Angels,” eight were being sexually exploited when authorities attacked to save them, according to the feds.
Two of the children had already been rescued during the course of the operation, the agency said on Friday.
“It is not uncommon for rescued victims to return to commercial sex trafficking voluntarily or by force, fraud or coercion,” said the FBI.
“This harmful cycle highlights the challenges that victims face and those faced by law enforcement in trying to prevent victims from returning to an abusive situation,” continued the agency. “Victims may not identify themselves as being trafficked or may not even realize that they are being trafficked.”
A human trafficking suspect was arrested and several investigations were launched as a result of the investigation.
The FBI added: “Some of the minor victims have been arrested for violations of probation, theft or other offenses” and “a child has been the victim of kidnapping of the parents without custody”.
The joint investigation, which included two dozen law enforcement agencies and was led by the FBI’s Los Angeles office, began on January 11, the FBI said in a statement.
In 2020, the FBI conducted 664 human trafficking investigations across the country, resulting in the arrest of 473 traffickers.