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The U.S. Marshals Service and local law enforcement personnel around New Orleans finished a major operation at the very end of 2021, leading to the discovery of five missing teenage girls and the arrest of more than 30 sex offenders.

The Marshals announced the end of the operation, which they had dubbed Operation Boo Dat, in a press release to the media late last week. According to the law enforcement group, Marshals’ efforts in and around both New Orleans and Baton Rouge netted a major result in the battle against sex trafficking.

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Per the release, law enforcement was able to arrest dozens of sex offenders for various offenses. They also combed through and made contact with former offenders, regarding compliance checks for those whose registrations had lapsed.

At the most serious level, the Marshals’ arrests included one capture of a man accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in east Texas earlier in 2021. They also arrested a man wanted for allegedly raping a 12-year-old girl in an abandoned home in New Orleans. Thankfully, the cops recovered five girls that had been missing and were reportedly being trafficked around the state last year. The US Marshals detailed the five Operation Boo Dat recoveries in their release, first by reporting on the return of one girl who had run away into a terrible situation:

“The recoveries of five missing/endangered teens with one being a 16-year-old female JPSO runaway who left her residence in Marrero (Jefferson Parish) by allegedly stealing a relative’s vehicle and a handgun. That teen, who was known to have ties to Bourbon Street and the Chef Highway area of New Orleans, was recovered at a residence in the 7900 block of Benson Street New Orleans, LA and was located living with several adults to include an adult female strip club dancer.”

Another girl, just 14 years old, had suffered from “possible sex trafficking ties” after having been stranded in New Orleans with several other teenagers:

“The second recovery involved a 14-year-old female with possible sex trafficking ties being recovered at a motel off Read Blvd. in New Orleans East. She was located along with a 17-year-old female and a 15-year-old female staying in a motel room. The room smelled of Marijuana and alcohol. The girls advised that before moving to that room they were in another motel room with adult males from Baton Rouge, LA who left/stranded them to return to Baton Rouge, LA due to the adult men’s cousin being shot.”

A third girl had reportedly been trafficked between Baton Rouge and New Orleans throughout the year:

“A third recovery was the result of a collateral lead request from USMS Middle District of Louisiana to attempt to locate a 15-year-old runaway female for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office. That teen had prior human sex trafficking issues in Baton Rouge, but her pimp had recently been murdered. She was located living with her 17-year-old boyfriend and one of his relatives at an apartment in the 12100 block of North I-10 Service Road New Orleans, LA. Information was also developed that the female was regularly leaving the apartment to meet with adult males in New Orleans East.”

And the final two recoveries reportedly involved two teen-aged sisters who were previously reported missing elsewhere in Louisiana and discovered as part of another apparent sex trafficking operation:

“The fourth and fifth recoveries were of two sisters ages 15 and 16 with one missing out of St. Tammany Parish, LA and the younger sister missing out of Baton Rouge, LA. Both females may be victims of adult(s) felony criminal sexual activities and they were recovered at an apartment in Baton Rouge.”

Oof.

Those are intense stories and terrible situations to think about teen girls having to go through. We can’t even begin to understand what it’s like to forcibly be part of such a horrible and scary underworld like this. Sending our love and prayers to those teens in the hopes that they can recover after going through the unimaginable.

You can see the US Marshals’ full press release HERE.

[Image via YouTube]

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