Children as young as 15 are among sex trafficking victims rescued in Georgia during a nationwide bust.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Nicole Carr learned three alleged pimps came from Smyrna, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The results are from a larger-scale, long form operation that happened just ahead of the Super Bowl.
On Tuesday, the feds released rare video footage from the operation.
By the end of July, the FBI says the nationwide bust dubbed Operation Independence Day rescued more than 100 child victims and ended with the arrests of 67 pimps or traffickers.
Of the seven child victims saved in Georgia, two were 15-years-old.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Mother says someone tried to kidnap her daughter at Georgia Aquarium
- Atlanta apartments sprayed with bullets in 'targeted' attack, police say
- Police visited home 15 minutes before woman was shot, killed
"I think it's one of the most important things that we do in the FBI. I think we're trying to protect our nation's most valuable resources and that's our children.," said Special Agent Eric Pauley with FBI Atlanta.
Agents released rare photos of the bust, giving a glimpse of what happened.
The suspected human trafficking victims were rescued in different venues from what looks like motels to the internet.
"The motivation is very high and the support is unprecedented," Pauley said. "Not one agency can combat this threat successfully on their own, so it takes the unity of the group and law enforcement and the nongovernmental partners to really make an impact."
While Atlanta ranked in the top five cities as far as rescues in Operation Independence Day, federal agents say it's hard to quantify or define just how bad the sex trafficking problem is in Georgia.
"A lot of times the victims don't self-report. They don't self-identify as victims. That's part of a psychological and emotional manipulation," Pauley said.
Pauley also noted that some incidents can be misidentified.
Cox Media Group
