FBI operation rescues 18 children in Denver area and arrests 11 alleged pimps

More young victims of child sex trafficking were recovered in the Denver area by a recent national operation than in any other area involved. FBI agents and local law enforcement recovered 18 children and arrested 11 alleged pimps.

In total, the FBI says 168 victims of child sex trafficking were rescued in the last week, including many who had never been reported missing.

In addition, 281 total alleged pimps were arrested as part of the same nationwide initiative, an annual enforcement push known as Operation Cross Country.

FBI Director James Comey told reporters Monday that the children who were rescued did not come from faraway lands but were instead "America's children."

This is the eighth such week-long operation. The FBI says nearly 3,600 children have so far been recovered from the streets.

Comey says one worrisome trend is the increasing prevalence of children being prostituted online.

FBI spokesman Dave Joly confirmed that this investigation involved the Innocence Lost Task Force, the same group involved in a sting in Aurora that caught more than 30 suspected johns earlier this month. Nine of those johns face felonies for patronizing a prostitute who was a 17-year-old high school student.