ATLANTA, GA — Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that his Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has recovered 11 missing children in Georgia and initiated multiple human trafficking investigations as a result of Operation “Coast to Coast” – a nationwide effort to locate victims, arrest buyers and sellers, and seize criminal assets.

More than 250 law enforcement agencies across 30 states participated in this year’s effort – mobilizing simultaneously Thursday to execute one of the largest anti-human trafficking operations in the United States. Overall, 129 victims were identified across the country, including 11 minors (all in Georgia) and one adult who was seven months pregnant. 

“Sadly, the vast majority of our human trafficking cases involve a child who’s gone missing,” said Carr. “That’s why operations like this are so important – allowing our team to work with law enforcement from across the country to safely locate victims, dismantle trafficking networks, and hold predators accountable. I’m proud of our Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit for their tireless efforts over the past few days, but our work doesn’t stop here. We will keep fighting until every child is recovered and every trafficker is behind bars.”

Operation “Coast to Coast” was organized and led by the Human Trafficking Training Center (HTTC), a law enforcement training organization founded by former Missouri State Trooper Dan Nash. Carr’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit served as the lead agency for Georgia-based efforts, working directly with the Georgia Department of Human Services Special Investigations Unit and the following partners: the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the Atlanta Police Department, the Cobb County Police Department, the DeKalb County Police Department, the Gwinnett County Police Department, the Marietta Police Department, the DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Child Protection Task Force, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and Delta Airlines.

Previous and Ongoing Operations Targeting Human Traffickers

In two years, Carr’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has shut down more than 40 illicit massage businesses in Athens-Clarke, Cobb, Cherokee, Fulton, Floyd, Gwinnett, Hall, and Henry counties through an effort known as Operation “In Plain Sight.”

Carr’s team previously partnered with the U.S. Marshals Service and other local, state and federal partners for Operation “Not Forgotten,” which resulted in the safe location of 39 missing children in 2020 and 20 missing children in 2021.

This includes a 17-year-old victim who was previously reported as missing from her home in Kansas City, Missouri, and located at a hotel in Fulton County, where she was trafficked. From that one recovery, Carr’s team has successfully prosecuted 13 traffickers, including those who bought and sold the child for sex.

About the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit

In 2019, with the support of Governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp and leaders in the Georgia General Assembly, Attorney General Chris Carr created the first-of-its-kind statewide Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. 

Since its inception, the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit has secured more than 70 criminal convictions and rescued and assisted over 200 children. This Unit is based in Atlanta, with regional, satellite prosecutors and investigators in Macon and Augusta.  

The Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit is housed in the Attorney General’s Prosecution Division, which also includes Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit, his White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit, and his Organized Retail Crime Unit.