12 arrested in child sex trafficking sting in Detroit

Katrease Stafford and Robert Allen | The Detroit Free Press

Show Caption Hide Caption FBI sex trafficking sting saves 149 children, nabs 150 This raw footage shows one of the busts carried out as part of the nationwide operation to take down sex traffickers. The FBI's Operation Cross Country arrested 150 pimps and other suspects and recovered 149 sexually exploited children.

DETROIT — Nineteen children who were forced into prostitution have been rescued and 12 suspected pimps arrested in an FBI sting in Detroit, according to authorities.

The sting announced Tuesday was part of a national effort to combat sex trafficking involving children as young as 12-years-old.

"When kids are treated as a commodity in seedy hotels and on dark roadsides, we must rescue them from their nightmare and severely punish those responsible for that horror," FBI Director James Comey said in a news release.

The arrests were the result of Operation Cross Country IX, a nationwide law enforcement action that took place last week. The action concluded with the recovery of 149 sexually exploited children and the arrest of more than 150 pimps and other individuals, according to the FBI.

"More than 500 law enforcement officials took part in sting operations in hotels, casinos, truck stops, and other areas frequented by pimps, prostitutes, and their customers. The youngest recovered victim was 12-years-old," according to the news release.

David P. Gelios, special agent in charge of the FBI Detroit Division, made the announcement alongside several other federal and local authorities. The FBI's Innocence Lost National Initiative involves partnering with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, along with state and local law enforcement partners across the country to combat criminal enterprises involving commercial sex trafficking of children.

The Detroit operation was among the most successful in the country, according to the FBI.

"Our office is pleased with the success of the operation in metro Detroit, but we, along with all of our law enforcement partners, do not stop here," Gelios said. "This is all part of an ongoing effort to continue to free victims of human trafficking, and arrest the individuals that commit these crimes."

Michigan State Police assisted in the investigation, according to Captain Monica Yesh.

"The Michigan State Police continue to support the efforts to combat human trafficking and rescue victims from the manipulation and constraints of suspects who take advantage of vulnerable children and adults in our community," Yesh said.

Since the Innocence Lost program started in 2003, about 4,800 sexually-exploited children have been recovered and more than 2,000 pimps and others have been convicted, including at least 15 cases resulting in life sentences, according to the FBI.

"During Operation Cross Country, nearly 100 victim specialists from the FBI's Office for Victim Assistance provided on-scene services to recovered young victims. Services included crisis intervention as well as resources for basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention," according to the news release, which added that stabilizing the children and getting their lives moving in a positive direction is the victim specialists' "main goal."