(The Center Square) – Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on Monday the largest child rescue operation led by U.S. Marshalls “not just in Florida’s history, but in the United States history.”
A multi-agency operation that took place over two weeks resulted in the rescue of more than 60 children in three counties who “were in critical danger, many of the victims of trafficking, many missing kids,” he said.
Operation Dragon Eye in the Tampa Bay Area was led by the U.S. Marshal’s Office with legal counsel provided by the AG’s Office of Statewide Prosecution and involved 20 federal, state and local agencies.
“The real heroes behind this operation are the law enforcement who built and executed this mission. As your Attorney General and a father of three young kids, protecting children is my top priority,” Uthmeier said.
He also issued a warning to those abusing children, saying, “If you victimize children, you’re going to prison, end of story.
“We’re going to go after every child predator we can find. If you want to prey on our kids, we will hunt you down. We will get you in this state. There’s no tolerance for human trafficking. We will use every resource we have to protect our kids.”
U.S. Marshal William Berger said he was “overwhelmed by the results of this operation.”
“Operation Dragonfly was the largest in the history of the United States Marshall Service,” he said, “if not the history of the United States.”
Several years ago, U.S. Marshalls in Atlanta organized a similar operation over a period of six weeks that resulted in the rescue of 30 children, he said.
While the focus was on recovery of missing children, he noted several arrests because “experience tells us if the offenders are not apprehended, they will reconnect with these children. They are, in my opinion, leeches.”
Eight individuals were arrested, charged with crimes ranging from human trafficking, child endangerment, drug possession and trafficking, he said. When arrested, they were given bonds ranging from no bond to $250 million.
“I’ve never heard of that before,” he said.
“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,” he continued. The operation also involved follow-up assistance “in hopes that these youth will not return back to the streets to be further victimized.”
Department of Children and Families Secretary Taylor Hatch DCF said staff and key partners “provided critical information, helped shape recovery protocols, deployed child protective investigators, criminal justice coordinators and human trafficking specialists to support the mission in real time to ensure that every child recovered was met with care and compassion,” she said. Ten DCF agents helped recover 26 of the 60 children, she said.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said the fact that they rescued 60 children “sends the message that Florida will never be a safe place for traffickers.” Law enforcement officers in Florida are continuing “to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves,” he said. “And to any family still missing their child, we will never stop searching until we make sure they are brought home safely,” he said.
A human trafficking investigation remains ongoing.
Glass also encouraged members of the public to report suspicious activities to law enforcement that might be an instance of human trafficking because “it happens in plain sight.”
