Law enforcement sting operation rescues 13 sexually exploited children – Law Officer

ABILENE, Texas – Several law enforcement agencies across North Texas conducted a three-week sting operation, which resulted in the rescue of 13 children from sexual abuse and netted 47 arrests, according to a recent press release from the Abilene Police Department.

The undercover investigation, titled Operation Janus, focused on the “rescue of children across North Texas who are victims of online sexual exploitation,” police said in the press release. Individuals taken into custody were charged with a variety of crimes, to include multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, possession of child pornography, possession with intent to promote, online solicitation of a minor and possession of child pornography videos, according to the Abilene Reporter News.

The North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force spearheaded Operation Janus and brought “together highly skilled computer crimes investigators” to assist in the “rescue of children in our communities who fall prey to the darkness of online predators,” law enforcement authorities noted.

Investigators collaborated between Jan. 15 and Feb. 2 to find child victims while arresting “abusers trafficking illegal images and videos of children forced into sexual acts,” police said.

Operation Janus included the arrest of residents from various cities across North Texas, including Amarillo, Dallas, Lubbock, and Abilene among others.