NEW ORLEANS – Federal authorities arrested 45 suspected human traffickers in Louisiana during a recent crackdown, the FBI said.
Dubbed Operation X, the crackdown reached international levels, netting suspects in multiple countries, including Cambodia, Canada, Thailand and the Philippines.
“Amongst those arrested (in Louisiana), were six pimps, and law enforcement also recovered three juvenile victims that were used for prostitution," said Jeffrey Sallet, special agent in charge of the FBI New Orleans Field Office.
Officials said the operations focused on locations such as hotels and truck stops.
Minors recovered during arrests were brought to state protective services, officials said.
“As in the case with the three juveniles arrested in Louisiana, some were either from a broken home or were runaways,” Sallet said.
Operation X is the largest crackdown since the 2003 implementation of the FBI’s Innocence Lost Initiative, which is focused on child sex trafficking.
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