33 Missing Children Rescued in Los Angeles Human Trafficking Investigation

A massive human trafficking operation based in Los Angeles rescued 33 missing children, several of whom were sexually exploited.

The FBI said in a news release the multiple law enforcement agencies worked on the Los Angeles-based trafficking investigation to identify, locate and rescue the missing children. These included the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and more than two-dozen law enforcement and non-governmental partners.

The operation to rescue the Los Angeles missing children, also known as Operation "Lost Angels" began January 11, amid Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

There was one person suspected of human trafficking arrested on state charges, the FBI confirmed, although details of the arrest were not made immediately available, reported NBC News.

"Human trafficking is a pervasive and insidious crime that threatens the safety of our young people, who are the future of our communities," LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in the release.

Moore added that service providers and law enforcement can only "begin to take back" the future of these victims through strong partnerships.

Some Missing Children in 'Harmful Cycle' of Abuse

USA Today said in a report that two of the children rescued during the operation were found multiple times at known locations for sex trafficking. Officials explained that endangered children often return to these kinds of situations for various reasons as part of a "harmful cycle of abuse."

They were "considered vulnerable missing children" before their recovery and they return to the dangerous locations by force, threats or their own accord.

The operation's Assistant Director in Charge Kristi K. Johnson called human trafficking "modern day slavery" and the minors who were forced into commercial sex trafficking should be considered as victims.

The FBI also said that this cycle of abuse showed the challenges faced by both victims and law enforcement when they attempt to keep them away from abusive situations.

"Victims may not self-identify as being trafficked or may not even realize they're being trafficked," the agency said.

Some Trafficking Victims Face Misdemeanor Crimes

According to FOX 11, some of the minor victims were arrested for misdemeanor crimes such as probation violations or robbery. The FBI also said one child was discovered to be a victim of noncustodial parental kidnapping.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles bureau of the FBI did not release additional details about the operation and the agency could not be reached on Saturday.

It is unclear if the cases were linked to each other in any way.

Agencies that were also involved in Operation "Lost Angeles" were the Wichita Police Department in Kansas, the Langston University Police in Oklahoma and the Arizona Department of Child Safety.

The FBI said that even after the operation did show a surge in resources over a limited time frame and with great success, there were still more investigations on child sex trafficking tackled by law enforcement daily.

The agency is faced with a caseload of trafficking crimes that increased significantly in recent years. At least 1,800 trafficking cases were pending investigation in the FBI as of November with some of the cases involving minors.