ATLANTA — More than three dozen children are now safe after being rescued during a sex trafficking bust involving state and federal agents.
Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Tony Thomas learned that the bust, dubbed “Operation Not Forgotten” spanned 20 counties around metro Atlanta.
For two weeks, U.S.Marshals Fugitive Hunters and other agencies scoured north and middle Georgia looking for missing and exploited children. In all, 26 endangered children were recovered and another 13 missing children were found.
U.S. Marshals Service Director Donald Washington said that authorities fear the children were all already or potential victims of sex trafficking.
“These missing children were considered to be some of the most at-risk and challenging recovery cases in the area, based on indications of high-risk factors such as victimization of child sex trafficking, child exploitation, sexual abuse, physical abuse, and medical or mental health conditions,” authorities said. “Other children were located at the request of law enforcement to ensure their wellbeing.”
The operation spanned across 20 Georgia counties. Sources said children were found in Gwinnett, Fulton, Clayton, and Forsyth counties among other places. Nine suspects were arrested.
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