In Florida, amid dilapidated motels, abandoned parking lots, and forgotten suburbs, sixty children were brought back to safety thanks to a meticulous and far-reaching operation. Dubbed DRAGON EYE, the initiative was launched by the U.S. Marshals, the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the United States, in collaboration with a wide network of law enforcement agencies, social services, and non-governmental organizations. It was a targeted two-week intervention that uncovered a brutal and hidden reality involving human trafficking, abuse, and broken childhoods, ultimately leading to the arrest of eight individuals.
According to reports, DRAGON EYE was considered by authorities to be the most effective missing child recovery operation ever carried out by federal law enforcement. The agents rescued children aged between 9 and 17 in all manner of harrowing circumstances, who were at risk of violence, abuse, addiction, or already direct victims of sexual exploitation.
The children came from diverse and often tragic backgrounds. Many had run away from their homes or foster care facilities, making them easy targets for criminals. Others had been unlawfully taken by non-custodial parents or relatives, in cases classified as “custodial interference.”
In several instances, agents discovered that the children had been lured or deceitfully taken by sex trafficking networks. Investigators reported extreme cases of both physical and psychological abuse, including girls who had become pregnant due to the violence they had endured.
Each young person was carefully interviewed and underwent medical evaluations. They were then provided further essential services, including support from social workers, and were taken into safe facilities. “This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return to the streets to be further victimized,” said William Berger, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of reports of missing children are filed in the United States. Many such cases are are quickly resolved, with the children reunited to families with no foul play. However, according to FBI data, as of the end of 2024, 25,493 cases remained unresolved.
