
A sweeping, multi-state FBI crackdown has led to the arrest of 120 human traffickers and the recovery of 84 minors, FBI Director Christopher Wray announced on Wednesday. “We at the FBI have no greater mission than to protect our nation’s children from harm,” Wray said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the number of traffickers arrested—and the number of children recovered—reinforces why we need to continue to do this important work.”
The sting was part of a program called Innocence Lost National Initiative, which has rescued 6,500 children since it first started back in 2003. NBC News reports that:
[lborder]The operation encompassed multiple stings over four days through Sunday. The FBI said 55 field offices, including 78 Child Exploitation Task Forces, were involved, along with 500 other law enforcement agencies across multiple states and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.