PHOENIX — An FBI-led national operation has resulted in the recovery of five juveniles in the Valley who are believed to be victims of sex trafficking.
The FBI Phoenix Bureau announced Tuesday that local agents had identified and located five minors in the Valley who had been sexually exploited. As a result of its investigation, the FBI said 31 people in the Valley were arrested for allegedly attempting to have sex with minors and a suspected trafficker was taken into custody.
The names of the arrested subjects were not disclosed by the FBI.
The investigation was part of a national initiative called "Operation Cross Country," which focused on finding victims of sex trafficking. Officers from Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Tempe, and Phoenix were involved in the FBI's investigation.
Nationally, 126 people were arrested as suspects for sexual exploitation, 68 alleged traffickers were arrested, and 59 juvenile victims were located during the FBI's two-week operation in July.
"Operation Cross Country is just one facet of the Bureau's ongoing efforts to protect the most vulnerable members of society and hold offenders accountable," the federal agency wrote in a statement.
Up to Speed
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?:
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.