By India McCarty
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and U.S. Marshal for the Central District of Florida William Berger celebrated the rescue of 60 missing children who were involved in a human trafficking operation.
“The real heroes behind this operation are the law enforcement who built and executed this mission. As your Attorney General and a father of three young kids, protecting children is my top priority,” Uthmeier said in a statement about Operation Dragon Eye. “If you victimize children, you’re going to prison, end of story.”
Operation Dragon Eye was led by the U.S. Marshals Service Middle District of Florida, involving 20 other agencies. It led to the arrest of eight people who were charged with human trafficking, child endangerment, drug possession and drug trafficking. Seventeen boys and 43 girls, between the ages of 9 and 17, were recovered.
These results speak for themselves.
Thank God for everyone who fought to bring these kids home. pic.twitter.com/4ui2leaKhI
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 23, 2025
“I have to curtail my enthusiasm because of the sensitivity of the victims involved in this operation, but the successful recovery of 60 missing children, complemented with the arrest of eight individuals, including child predators, signifies the most successful missing child recovery effort in the history of the United States Marshals Service; or to my knowledge, any other similar operation held in the United States,” Berger said, via USA Today.
In a statement posted to the Office of the Attorney General’s website, Berger added, “The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children ranging from age 9 to 17 were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care. This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return back to the streets to be further victimized.”
Related: SOUND OF FREEDOM Inspires Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation: ‘Grateful’
Human trafficking has become a major cultural topic, from former NFL star Tim Tebow’s tireless work to rescue and support victims of trafficking to the 2023 blockbuster SOUND OF FREEDOM.
“You cannot create change if you are not aware of something,” the movie’s director, Alejandro Gómez Monteverde, told NBC. “So for me, this film, I wanted to start where the movie ends. That it leaves you in a state of reflection, that it allows you to create meaningful conversation about this particular issue.”
He continued, “This is an issue, not of yesterday. This is in many ways contemporary of today, the darkness of today.”
This latest victory in Florida is cause for celebration — and a reminder of the work there is still left to do in the fight to end human trafficking.
Read Next: Why Tim Tebow Fights Human Trafficking: ‘We Need to Reach More’
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