Single County Snares 28 Suspected Child Sex Predators and Rescues 19 Kids in 'Operation Hydra'
A Texas sting has resulted in the arrest of 28 people involved in the sexual exploitation of children.
What the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office dubbed “Operation Hydra,” led to the rescue of 19 children who were either sexually exploited or abused, according to a news release from the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office.
The 28 people arrested for making child sexual abuse material available were from 17 states, the release said.
The year-long sting brought together the Montgomery County division of the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which monitored chat groups and built the cases that resulted in the recent arrests, and multiple other police agencies.
The release said many defendants posted illicit images online, while others were the administrators of online groups.
Some defendants were administrators of the groups and controlled who could access the groups.
“The internet allows child predators access and abuse children worldwide. My message to child abusers is clear: I don’t care where you are. If you make these images available in my county or put children at risk, we will find you, and you will face justice,” District Attorney Brett Ligon said.
“Heroes aren’t only in movies. Right here in Montgomery County, real-life heroes are tirelessly fighting for our children’s safety. To those who harm the innocent, beware-we will do whatever it takes to find those who harm the innocent,” Assistant District Attorney Chris Seufert.
The Texas sting is not the only effort against child predators bearing fruit.
Pennsylvania State Police recently announced the arrests of 26 people after a three-month investigation, according to PAhomepage.com.
“Operation Safe Screen” targeted online child predators in counties across northeastern and north-central Pennsylvania.
The battle against predators covers the nation.
Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper, whose California department recently arrested 23 people related to child sexual abuse and the internet, said the job is never done, according to KCRA-TV.
“We can do this 24/7 and not even make a dent in it,” Cooper said. “It’s like holding your finger in a dike because there is so much out there.”
The Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, made up of 175 law enforcement agencies, was formed to battle back.
The task force tracked down 770 tips in 2013, but more than 10,000 last year.
The number of cyber tips investigated by the task force is only growing. It’s from 770 in 2013 to more than 10,000 in 2022.
“We’ve seen with these cases that it doesn’t matter what community you come from, doesn’t matter what job your parents have or how poor or affluent you are. Anybody can be a victim to these predators,” Sgt. Brandon Gayman said.
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