EVERETT — Several Snohomish County law enforcement agencies assisted with a FBI operation last week that helped 32 women who had been forced into prostitution when they were girls.
Three people were arrested on suspicion of commercial exploitation.
The statewide operation began Oct. 12 and ended Sunday, said Ayn Dietrich-Williams, a spokeswoman with the FBI’s Seattle field office. The investigation was focused in Everett and other cities in Snohomish, King, Pierce, Skagit and Spokane counties.
Undercover FBI agents and police detectives met with women who were featured in online ads, Dietrich-Williams said. They provided referrals for services in job training, housing, counseling, medical and education assistance.
Police in Lynnwood, Marysville, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and the Regional Drug and Gang Task Force assisted. The Dawson Place Child Advocacy Center in Everett also was involved.
The annual operation is a part of an international FBI-led initiative, Dietrich-Williams said. The program that began in 2003 has helped more than 6,000 children.
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