Sting operation find 5 missing girls, makes 30 arrests

A multi-agency operation which lasted for months in Louisiana culminated the discovery of missing five teenage girls who were considered in danger by law enforcement. 30 arrests were made during the sweep.

The undercover operation, titled "Operation Boo Dat," similar to many other operations performed throughout the US, ran from Oct. 2021 through Dec. 24 2021.

According to NBC News, "two of the recovered girls were sisters, ages 15 and 16, who may be victims of adult felony criminal sexual activities."

"They were found at an apartment in Baton Rouge with assistance from the USMS Middle District of Louisiana and the Baton Rouge Police Department, according to the release."

The other three girls rescued by the operation were between 14 and 17 years of age. Of the 30 arrests made, 17 were for felony sexual assaults. One of those charged was herself a minor, a 17-year-old girl in Hammond, Louis.

The US Marshals Service New Orleans Task Force, the New Orleans Police Department and the Louisiana State Police were some of the other agencies who cooperated with each other in order to make the operation a success.

The operation also encompassed more than 100 different compliance checks for registered sex offenders in Orleans Parish and adjacent Jefferson Parish. In these checks, people's residences and compliance with all legal conditions applying to them were verified.

Another operation in the state of Virginia netted ten further arrests of would-be child sex predators, also culminating on Dec. 24, 2021.