Florida-led operation rescues 163 children around globe in historic state sweep, hunts suspected predators

FIRST ON FOX: A multi-agency effort in Florida has recovered 163 children–from 2 months old to 17– across five continents during Operation Statewide Shield, Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Tuesday.

Working with federal and foreign law enforcement agencies, Florida law enforcement officials spent five days in mid-August tracking and recovering the missing children.

Some of the children were runaways, Uthmeier’s office said. Some had been abandoned, neglected or abused. Some had been trafficked.

Helping plan and execute the operation were: the Office of Statewide Prosecution, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), Baycare, More to Life and the Florida Human Trafficking Victims Fund.

Providing critical assistance were numerous municipal law enforcement agencies and federal partners, and 13 Florida sheriff’s offices including Manatee, Sarasota, Jacksonville, Clay, Nassau, Putnam, St. Johns, Flagler, Orange, Escambia, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas, Uthmeier said.