Mother arrested, 18-month-old rescued in Baton Rouge as part of sex-trafficking crackdown
NOTE: The original story stated the mother was trying to sell her child. Authorities have clarified that the mother was instead attempting to commit prostitution while carrying the child.
BATON ROUGE - An 18-month-old infant in Baton Rouge was among those rescued in a three-day, nationwide crackdown on sex trafficking.
The FBI says Operation Cross Country XI resulted in the rescues of 84 minors and the arrests of 120 traffickers. The effort aimed at cracking down on underage human trafficking ran from Oct. 12 to Oct. 15.
In Louisiana, FBI Child Exploitation Task Forces in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport recovered an 18-month-old child and arrested four traffickers as part of operations based out of the New Orleans field office.
An undercover agent posing as a customer met with the mother trying to charge money for sex while carrying her 18-month-old child in Baton Rouge. The mother was arrested and the toddler was taken to the Department of Children and Family Services.
A 17-year-old girl was also found in Shreveport attempting to engage in prostitution. She was arrested and her family contacted.
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The FBI says this is the 11th iteration of Operation Cross Country, which took place this year in 55 FBI field offices and involved 78 state and local task forces, consisting of hundreds of law enforcement partners.