The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is sharing the below news release on behalf of our partners at FBI Denver. The CBI is proud to have been able to assist in Operation Cross Country, a comprehensive effort to address human trafficking across the state and nation.
Christian Mohr, CBI’s Agent In Charge of Human Trafficking/Sex Offender Unit, said CBI’s goal was to provide resources to help missing and endangered children in jurisdictions outside the Denver Metro area.
“CBI provided analysts and agents to North Colorado from Boulder to Greeley,” Agent in Charge Mohr said. "The work by the CBI team in Operation Cross Country is replicated in other similar operations throughout the year.”
Please see below for more details.
NEWS RELEASE-FBI Denver
Aug. 16, 2023
FBI Denver announces results of human trafficking operation
The FBI Denver Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force along with local, state and federal partners recovered 27 victims of sex trafficking during the recent
nationwide campaign called “Operation Cross Country.” The initiative, in partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited
Children, focused on identifying and locating victims of sex trafficking and investigating and arresting individuals and criminal enterprises involved in both child sex and human
trafficking.
The operation in Colorado recovered 8 juvenile and 19 adult victims of sex trafficking. Additionally, 14 children were located, 5 traffickers were arrested, and 8 other traffickers were identified for further investigation. More than 40 agencies and organizations from across Colorado participated in the 2-day push in July.
The Denver task force is one of 89 nationwide. In Denver we work with a multidisciplinary team that is intelligence-driven and takes a trauma-informed, victim-
centered approach. This methodology reduces trauma that survivors can experience.
Identified youths meet with victim specialists who assess victims and provide services to meet their immediate needs. Recovered victims are linked with community, state and
federal resources.
“Child sex trafficking exists here, in our community. Our Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force works with local, state and federal partners -- as well as
community partners and service providers -- to proactively combat this heart-breaking crime,” said FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek. “Our multidisciplinary
team and intelligence-driven approach continues to be successful in recovering children who have been victimized by traffickers. We will never stop in our efforts to bring child
sex traffickers to justice and help victims get to a safe place and receive the services they need.”
A 16-year-old girl recovered in this year’s operation was being trafficked by her father in exchange for drugs. Another recovered minor had been reported missing by her foster
family and was found in a hotel with a known trafficker. These and other children were reunified with parents or guardians and provided support services by the various Juvenile
Assessment Centers, our child welfare partners and service providers.
Partners are critical to the success of Operation Cross Country as well as the year-round work of the Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. These agencies and
organizations participated in this year’s initiative:
2nd Judicial District Attorney's Office Douglas County Sheriff's Office
17th Judicial District Attorney's Office El Paso County Sheriff's Office
18th Judicial District Attorney's Office Erie Police Department
20th Judicial District Attorney's Office Fort Collins Police Department
Adams County Department of Human Services Fort Lupton Police Department
Arapahoe County Department of Human Services Golden Police Department
Arapahoe County Juvenile Assessment Center Greeley Police Department
Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Homeland Security Investigations
Arvada Police Department Jefferson County Department of Human Services
Aurora Police Department Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
Boulder County Digital Forensics Laboratory Lafayette Police Department
Boulder County Sheriff's Office Lakewood Police Department
Boulder Police Department Longmont Police Department
Brighton Police Department Louisville Police Department
Broomfield Police Department Northglenn Police Department Victims Assistance
Colorado Bureau of Investigation From Silenced to Saved
Colorado Springs Police Department Routt County Sheriff's Office
Colorado Springs PD Metro Vice Unit Regional Transportation District Transit Police
Colorado State Patrol Thornton Police Department
Commerce City Police Department Victim Outreach Inc.
Denver Juvenile Services Center U.S. Attorney's Office -- Colorado
Denver Police Department Wheat Ridge Police Department
Whenever the FBI receives intelligence that a child is or might be a victim of human trafficking, we make every effort to attempt to identify and locate the child victim or
notify appropriate state and local partners for assistance. This task force operates all year, not just during Operation Cross Country.
The FBI encourages continued vigilance, cooperation, and reporting from the public to help identify and recover victims and bring perpetrators to justice.