Two northern Illinois predators were arrested in huge nation-wide sex trafficking sting

AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Last week, the FBI arrested more than 100 people last week in a nationwide sex trafficking sting – including two in northern Illinois.

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The FBI and National Center for Missing & Exploited Children announced Wednesday that 122 people were arrested and 85 minors were rescued during Operation Cross Country XI – an operation that focuses on underage human trafficking – running from Oct. 12-15.

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The Chicago’s FBI Child Exploitation Task Force made a pair of arrests and rescued three minors as part of the crackdown. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Northern Illinois, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office and police in Arlington Heights, Lansing and Schaumburg assisted.

This month’s sweep marks the 11th such FBI-led operation, carried out by 55 FBI field offices and involved 78 state and local task forces, the FBI said. The crackdown also included international partners from Canada, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines.

Agents and officers staged operations in hotels, casinos, truck stops, street corners and online, the FBI said. The youngest victim was 3 months old, and the average victim’s age was 15.

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“We at the FBI have no greater mission than to protect out nation’s children from harm,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the number of traffickers arrested—and the number of children recovered—reinforces why we need to continue this important work.”

“This operation isn’t just about taking traffickers off the street,” he said. “It’s about making sure we offer help and a way to these young victims who find themselves caught in a vicious cycle.”

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