Florida’s Operation Dragon Eye rescues dozens of ‘critically missing’ children in massive sting
US Marshals and 20 agencies worked together to recover children as young as 9 years old from exploitation
By Sarah Rumpf-Whitten Fox News
Published June 23, 2025 7:38pm EDT
Dozens of children were rescued in a blow to child sex trafficking operations in Florida, officials announced Monday.
Dubbed Operation Dragon Eye, the initiative was spearheaded by the U.S. Marshals Office for the Central District of Florida and supported by the state Attorney General James Uthmeier’s Office of Statewide Prosecution (OSP).
The effort involved 20 agencies working in tandem to locate 60 critically missing children and apprehend suspects tied to trafficking, drugs and child endangerment.
"The real heroes behind this operation are the law enforcement who built and executed this mission," Uthmeier said in a release. "As your Attorney General and a father of three young kids, protecting children is my top priority. If you victimize children, you're going to prison, end of story."
Authorities said the recovered children ranged in age from 9 to 17, and many of them were missing and at risk of being exploited. The U.S. Marshals Service defines "critically missing" children as "those at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors such as substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure or domestic violence."
The operation uncovered the gut-wrenching realities of sex trafficking — including several young girls who were pregnant, one of them carrying the child of her trafficker.
Officials stressed that the operation didn’t end with their rescue, but each child received immediate medical evaluations and psychological support, with long-term care protocols set in motion.
"The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care," said U.S. Marshal William Berger. "This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youths will not return back to the streets to be further victimized."
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