FBI Rescues Infant, 5-Year-Old In Child Sex Trafficking Sting
DENVER (CBS4)- The FBI has recovered a 3-month-old baby and a 5-year-old in Denver during a nationwide child sex trafficking investigation.
The investigation dubbed "Operation Cross Country" includes Denver along with several cities across the U.S.
Just three days ago, a suspect offered an undercover officer $600 in exchange for access to two children for sex. That male suspect was arrested and the children rescued.
In video released by the FBI, a child's blanket and stuffed animal can be seen on the floor of the location of one of the busts.
The investigation included online ads that undercover officers would respond to. The locations typically included hotels, casinos and street corners.
Some 84 minors were recovered and 120 traffickers were arrested as part of the sting.
A female from Russia was among those victims the FBI agents encountered in Denver.
"If you want to stop all this, stop what you're doing, stop this work, you can call that and they can do that for you. They can help you stay in the United States or go back home to family," said one FBI agent.
FBI Director Christopher Wray says that the agency is not only trying to take traffickers off the streets, but to help the victims get out of the cycle of abuse.
At a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, more details of the Innocence Lost Task Force Operation were spelled out, along with a warning.
"If you are a sexual predator or are sexually exploiting children, the FBI and law enforcement partners will find you, you can count on it," said FBI spokesman Todd Pooler.