- A month-long, multi-agency effort involving over 70 law enforcement agencies led to the arrest of 244 alleged online child-sex predators and the rescue of 109 children.
- Authorities recovered terabytes of illicit material; analysis is ongoing and may lead to further arrests and victim identification.
- Numerous rescued children had never been reported missing, revealing hidden abuse that had not come to the attention of authorities.
- Predators used social media, messaging apps, and online games to groom and exploit children, often without any physical contact.
- Officials warned of the widespread threat of online exploitation and urged parents to use parental controls and stay informed about their children’s digital activities.
A month-long operation, involving more than 70 law enforcement agencies, has snarled around 244 alleged online child-sex predators have been arrested and 109 children rescued in Texas.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Texas-based operation dubbed Operation Soteria Shield uncovered terabytes of illicit digital material that online predators use to exploit children – crimes that local police chiefs described as some of the most damaging and difficult to combat. Authorities are continuing to analyze electronic devices seized during the operation, which may lead to further arrests and the identification of additional victims.
In a June 10 press conference in Dallas, officials displayed names and photos of suspects, though some images were replaced with silhouettes – representing individuals whose photos were unavailable, juvenile suspects or those still pending arrest. Specific charges were not disclosed, but law enforcement officials stressed the severity and scale of the offenses. (Related: ICE Boston arrests three illegal immigrants suspected as child predators.)
“The number of offenders arrested and the children rescued in this operation are stunning,” said Jay Combs, the U.S. Attorney Eastern District of Texas. “It’s stunning to hear them repeated here.”
The operation, which began in April, exposed a harsh truth: Many of the rescued children had never been reported missing, and their abuse had gone undetected by authorities.
“During this operation, many of the children recognized or rescued were previously unidentified,” said Plano Police Department Assistant Chief Dan Curtis. “They’d never been reported missing. They had never had their abuse known to authorities.”
Digital child exploitation can infiltrate any household
The operation shed light on how predators use technology to manipulate and exploit children – often without ever meeting them in person. Offenders are known to use social media, messaging apps and even online gaming platforms to groom victims, sometimes coercing them into producing explicit images or videos.
Hence, law enforcement officials emphasized the growing threat of online child exploitation, which they say can infiltrate any household, regardless of geography or socioeconomic background. Plano Police Chief Ed Drain called these crimes “one of the most insidious” facing society today.
“It reaches into every community, crosses every boundary, and leaves lasting harm on its youngest victims,” Drain said. “Operation Soteria Shield brought together an unprecedented level of collaboration and resolve to confront this crisis head-on.”
Meanwhile, Joseph Rothrock, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas FBI Field Office, said the nature of the threat has evolved in disturbing ways.
“So I think for many of us, I’ll speak for my generation, we were raised to be concerned about faceless strangers that might try to contact us or cause harm on the street, but we’ve moved past that,” said Joseph Rothrock, the Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge. “Again, predators have access to our children in our home through technology.”
The FBI urged parents to take an active role in their children’s digital lives, recommending using parental controls on all internet-enabled devices and staying informed about the platforms kids are using.
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Watch Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Lamb warning that “people who don’t love America” are blending in with the gotaways that authorities fail to catch in the clip below.
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This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.
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Sources include:
TheEpochTimes.com
CBSNews.com
Brighteon.com
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