Authorities call it a successful round up of child sex offenders, but it also shows how widespread the crime is in North Texas.

The Dallas FBI office and some of the 70 law enforcement agencies that participated announced the results of Operation Soteria Shield on Tuesday.

These are the faces of the 244 men and women charged with exploiting children for the purpose of sex trafficking or pornography.

It’s the end of a month-long investigation by federal and local enforcement of a crime that authorities say is a year-round problem.

“The number of offenders arrested and the children rescued in this operation are stunning,” said Jay Combs, the U.S. Attorney Eastern District of Texas. “It’s stunning to hear them repeated here.”

Operation Soteria Shield, which began in April, led to the rescue of 109 children.

“During this operation, many of the children recognized or rescued were previously unidentified,” said Plano Police Department Assistant Chief Dan Curtis. “They’d never been reported missing. They had never had their abuse known to authorities.”

  • wetbeardhairs@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    1 day ago

    The head of the Dallas FBI office said the methods used don’t just involve social media but also online gaming systems.

    So Roblox. Got it. Fucking cesspool of a platform. Built for child exploitation by child exploitation.

    • Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      56 minutes ago

      That game gave my weird vibes the first time I saw it back when. I’m so glad I never let my child play it.

      There are so many other fun, better videogames than roblox. Fucking aweful to think it could have had a hand in this evil.