(NEW YORK) -- The U.S. Marshals in Florida have led a missing child operation this month that “resulted in the recovery or safe location of 60 critically missing children,” across the state, officials said.
The U.S. Marshals Service Middle District of Florida -- working with a number of law enforcement partners -- launched Operation DRAGON EYE, a two-week initiative geared to “recover or safely locate the most critically missing youth” that the U.S. Marshals are calling “the most successful missing child operation in USMS history,” according to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service on Monday.
“This operation had three primary objectives: recover critically missing youth, provide them with essential services including appropriate placement, and to deter bad actors exploiting missing child vulnerabilities,” officials said in their announcement of the results of the operation. “DRAGON EYE resulted in eight arrests, including charges of human trafficking, child endangerment, narcotics possession, and custodial interference.”
Authorities said that Operation DRAGON EYE was the product of a “multidisciplinary task force of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as social service entities, the medical community, and non-governmental organizations.”
The USMS defines "critically missing" children as those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence, authorities said, and recovered children were provided with medical resources, nourishment, social services and child advocates.
Officials working on Operation DRAGON EYE said they are proud of this operation's achievements which located children across Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties in Florida.
"I have to curtail my enthusiasm because of the sensitivity of the victims involved in this operation, but the successful recovery of 60 missing children, complemented with the arrest of eight individuals, including child predators, signifies the most successful missing child recovery effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service; or to my knowledge, any other similar operation held in the United States," said William Berger, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida. "The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children ranging from age 9 to 17 were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care. This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return to the streets to be further victimized.”
Said Callahan Walsh, Executive Director, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: "The success of Operation DRAGON EYE is a testament to what's possible when agencies unite with a shared mission to protect children," "We're proud to have supported the U.S. Marshals Service and our partners in Florida to recover these missing children and provide critical support to those who need it most. NCMEC is honored to stand alongside these teams and will continue working tirelessly to help make sure that every child has a safe childhood."
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