Seven children recovered in Las Vegas in human trafficking operation

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2015 | 4:18 p.m.

Seven children in Las Vegas and two in Reno were recovered last week as part of a nationwide human trafficking operation, the FBI announced today.

Overall, 149 underage trafficking victims — the youngest 12 years old — were recovered and 153 alleged pimps were arrested, authorities said.

The initiative, dubbed Operation Cross Country IX, is a national effort spearheaded by the FBI and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, along with state and local police. The initiative, in its ninth year, targets the criminal enterprises responsible for the commercial sex trafficking of children.

Authorities conducted operations at hotels, casinos, truck stops and other areas known to be frequented by prostitutes, sex traffickers and their customers, official said.

“Human trafficking is a monstrous and devastating crime that steals lives and degrades our nation,” U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said.

The operation is part of the FBI’s national Innocence Lost initiative, which began in 2003. Since the program’s inception, more than 4,800 children have been recovered from underage prostitution and prosecutors have obtained more than 2,000 convictions, including at least 15 that have resulted in life sentences.