Nearly 60 people are in custody after a month-long operation rescued children across North Texas who were victims of online sexual exploitation.
More than 80 criminal charges were filed against 59 offenders in Operation Janus, resulting in the rescue of 28 children, according to a news release.
The operation was conducted by The North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and FBI Dallas Division’s Child Exploitation Task Force.
“Starting on January 16, 2023, and continuing through February 10, 2023, law enforcement agencies across North Texas brought together highly skilled computer crimes investigators to focus resources on the identification and rescue of children in our communities who fall prey to the darkness of online predators,” the release states.
“These investigators partnered together, dedicating their days and nights to seeking out child victims and apprehending abusers trafficking illegal images and videos of children forced into sexual acts.”
During the investigation, officers seized terabytes of data and multiple devices that were used in the crimes.
Evidence that comes from the seized devices and data could possibly lead to more investigations, according to the release.
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia praised law enforcement for the actions taken to protect children and get suspects such as these off the streets of Dallas.
“The people charged as a result of this operation preyed on some of our most vulnerable, our children,” said Garcia in a statement.
“I applaud the dedication of these task force groups, including members of the Dallas Police Department, to bring these suspects to justice. We will never stop working to identify, locate, and apprehend these predators to make our community safer for our children.”
The operation was conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies.
FBI Dallas Acting Special Agent in Charge James J. Dwyer also addressed the operation and the need to protect children.
“The FBI is committed to doing everything in our power to protect the most innocent amongst us, our children. We’re able to achieve this through our law enforcement partnerships at the federal, state, and local level,” said Dwyer in the statement.
“We work together every day to identify and apprehend online predators targeting children. Operation Janus allowed us to collectively support each other by sharing resources and intelligence to catch predators in the act. It also allowed us to recover children and protect them from further harm,” Dwyer concluded.
Chief Ed Drain of the Plano Police Department said in a statement how he felt about the operation.
“The innocence of children must be protected at all costs. I am proud of the work we do to collectively bring to justice those who seek to harm our children through online means and for the rescue of these children from future abuse as we work to bring safety, healing, and justice to these victims and their families,” said Drain.
Dallas crime has seen a steady increase in sexual offenses, including rape, and sexual assault of a child continues to be a problem plaguing the city.
According to the Dallas Police Department’s daily crime brief, sexual offenses have seen about an eight percent increase.