US Marshals Service operation recovers 60 missing children in Florida
A massive investigation into child sex trafficking resulted in the rescue of 60 "critically missing" children in the Tampa Bay area, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced with other officials at a news conference on June 23.
"Operation Dragon Eye" was led by the U.S. Marshals Service Middle District of Florida and involved 20 agencies, state officials said. Eight people were arrested, with charges ranging from human trafficking, child endangerment, drug possession, and drug trafficking.
The investigation was focused on recovering or safely locating "critically missing" children in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. The children's ages ranged from 9 to 17, officials said.
"I have to curtail my enthusiasm because of the sensitivity of the victims involved in this operation, but the successful recovery of 60 missing children, complemented with the arrest of eight individuals, including child predators, signifies the most successful missing child recovery effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service; or to my knowledge, any other similar operation held in the United States," said William Berger, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida.
"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. "If you victimize children, you're going to prison, end of story."
What is Operation Dragon Eye?
Operation Dragon Eye was a two-week initiative "geared to recover or safely locate the most critically missing youth," the U.S. Marshals Service said in a release. According to Uthmeier, 17 boys and 43 girls were recovered in the two-week targeted operation.
The operation had three primary objectives:
- "Recover critically missing youth."
- Provide the youth with "essential services, including appropriate placement."
- "Deter bad actors exploiting missing child vulnerabilities."
"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," Berger said. "This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return to the streets to be further victimized.”
What are 'critically missing children'?
The Marshals Service defines critically missing children as "those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors, such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence."
Operation Dragon Eye was the product of "a multidisciplinary task force of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as social service entities, the medical community, and non-governmental organizations," the Marshals Service said in a released statement.
The other agencies included the Florida Attorney General's Office, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Department of Children and Families, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Pasco Sherriff's Office, Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, St. Petersburg Police Department, Tampa Police Department, BayCare, Bridging Freedom, Bridges of Hope, Children's Home Network, Children's Network of Hillsborough County, Family Support Services Pasco Pinellas Counties, More Too Life, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Redefining Refuge.
'Working tirelessly to help make sure that every child has a safe childhood'
Since the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act was passed in 2015, the Marshals Service has located or recovered nearly 4,000 missing children. The Marshals Service located or recovered missing children in 66% of the cases it received, according to a released statement. Of those recovered, 61% were found within seven days.
In 2024, 200 missing children were found as part of a nationwide operation called "Operation We Will Find You 2," conducted May 20 to June 24 by the Marshals Service and other federal, state, and local agencies across the United States.
The 2024 operation, conducted with help from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, recovered and removed 123 children from dangerous situations, the Marshals Service said at the time. The other 77 missing children were located and found to be in safe locations, according to law enforcement or child welfare agencies.
Callahan Walsh, executive director of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, applauded the agencies that collaborated in Operation DRAGON EYE to help protect children.
"We're proud to have supported the U.S. Marshals Service and our partners in Florida to recover these missing children and provide critical support to those who need it most," Walsh said in a statement. "NCMEC is honored to stand alongside these teams and will continue working tirelessly to help make sure that every child has a safe childhood."
Contributing: Mike Snider, Paste BN
(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)