OAN Staff Abril Elfi
2:00 PM – Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Over 240 people have been arrested and more than 100 children have been rescued following a month-long sting operation in Dallas, Texas.
According to a joint announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, the North Texas Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the FBI Dallas Division, 244 people were arrested and 109 children were rescued during an operation aiming to combat online child exploitation.
Operation Soteria Shield was a month-long operation that began in April.
Authorities stated that the operation involved over 70 Texas law enforcement agencies and was supported by the National Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
Federal officials noted that investigators were specifically focusing on identifying and arresting individuals involved in the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to their announcement, officials seized large volumes of disturbing digital evidence, including terabytes of illicit content depicting children stored on electronic devices — which are now undergoing forensic analysis.
Officials stated that as analyses are being conducted, more arrests and victim identifications are expected in the future.
According to federal sources, the operation has already resulted in many grand jury indictments in the Eastern District of Texas on accusations of distributing child pornography and the sexual exploitation of juveniles.
“The numbers of offenders arrested and children rescued in this operation are significant,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jay Combs. “We remain committed to investigating and prosecuting these crimes to protect children from online sexual exploitation.”
Officials added that Operation Soteria Shield demonstrates the effectiveness of coordinated interagency coordination in combating child exploitation crimes. The operation is one of the largest of its sort done in Texas in recent years.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) assisted with the operation by providing intelligence and case coordination.
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts