A nationwide crackdown on child sex trafficking has put 120 suspected traffickers behind bars, and recovered 84 minors. In operations based out of the FBI Tampa Field Office, one juvenile was recovered and three suspects were arrested.
"When were talking about quality of life, definitely a little drop would make a difference," said Liana Calderin, a Fort Myers counselor who has worked with many human trafficking victims.
"When you see a victim of human trafficking and you see what they are put through...24 hours for someone who has been put through that, it's a living hell," she added.
The Lee County Sheriff's Office is one of a number of partner agencies participating in the 11th year of Operation Cross Country. None of the suspected traffickers in the latest operation were arrested in Southwest Florida.
The average age of the victims recovered in this year's Operation Cross Country is 15.
