Crime & Safety
2 Teens in Maryland Rescued During Sex Trafficking Sting: FBI
Five people identified as pimps were arrested, according to the FBI.
Federal agents identified two teens and five pimps in Maryland last week during an operation targeting sex trafficking, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reported. The initiative was part of a national sweep that resulted in hundreds of victims and pimps being identified.
Two 16-year-old victims were recovered—one in Baltimore County and the other in Montgomery County—according to The Baltimore Sun.
Five alleged pimps were arrested in Maryland, according to the FBI. Four were found in Prince George's County and one in Baltimore County, the newspaper reported.
The sting was part of Operation Cross Country, a concerted effort by the FBI to combat sex trafficking of youths, which last week resulted in the identification of 168 juvenile victims and 281 pimps, according to the FBI.
Federal agents targeted truck stops, casinos and online dating sites, according to CBS News.
"These are our children—on our streets, [at] our truck stops, our motels," FBI Director James Comey said, in a statement published by USA Today. "These are America's children."Over the last year and a half, the Baltimore FBI office rescued nearly 50 juvenile prostitutes—20 in Baltimore County, 18 in Prince George's County, six in Baltimore City, three in Anne Arundel County and one in Montgomery County—WJZ reported.
Related:
- Maryland Governor Says Reports of Human Trafficking Are on the Rise
- 5 Plead Guilty in Sex Trafficking of Teen in Towson Area
- Maryland Man Forced 13-Year-Old into Prostitution, Plied Her with Drugs
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