The FBI has located more than 120 children and arrested more than 1,500 violent offenders halfway through Operation Summer Heat 2.0.
In addition, the agency has conducted 850 drug seizures and recovered approximately 1,300 pounds of cocaine, the FBI said in a July 15 post on X.
“We are dedicated to crushing violent crime networks across the country—and the results speak for themselves,” the agency said.
The roughly 1,300 pounds of cocaine have an estimated street value of around $70 million.
Under the first Operation Summer Heat, which ran from June 24, 2025, to Sept. 20, 2025, at least 8,629 people were arrested, 1,053 at-risk children located or identified, 2,281 firearms seized, and nearly 10,000 pounds of cocaine and more than 920 pounds of fentanyl seized.
In one of the latest crackdowns under Operation Summer Heat 2.0, the Kentucky State Police announced on July 11 that it carried out a statewide anti-drug operation and arrested 197 people, issuing 490 charges.
Authorities seized thousands of grams of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin. In addition, 600 fentanyl pills, 127 oxycodone doses, 97 doses of hydrocodone, and 67 hallucinogen doses were seized. These drugs have an estimated street value of more than $640,000.
Moreover, around $200,000 worth of stolen property, $181,381 in cash, and 82 firearms were also confiscated.
“3,500 predators/traffickers locked up. A 102 percent increase from the previous administration,” Patel said.
Earlier in March, Patel said the FBI arrested 1,700 child predators and more than 300 human traffickers in 2025.
In addition, the agency terminated more than 3.8 million pedophile accounts on the dark web and dismantled networks linked to online predator group 764.
“We rebuilt the FBI, surging agents out of D.C. and into communities, expanding intel sharing, and deploying cutting-edge tech and AI to hunt predators faster than ever,” Patel said at the time.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we remain relentless in protecting children and will not slow down.”
Operations to Rescue Missing Children
Over the past year, the FBI and its partners have conducted multiple operations to recover missing children. In April 2025, Operation Restore Justice led to the locating of 115 child victims and the arrests of 205 alleged offenders, according to a May 15 statement from the agency.
In August 2025, 133 children were rescued under the two-week-long Operation Enduring Justice, with 234 individuals being apprehended. In December of that year, Operation Relentless Justice led to the arrests of 293 people and the rescue of 205 children.
More recently, Operation Iron Pursuit was conducted in April, with the month-long initiative recovering more than 200 child victims and apprehending more than 350 individuals.
In this specific operation, authorities arrested sex traffickers, kidnappers, abusers, and people owning, manufacturing, and distributing child sexual abuse material.
In 2005, the FBI established the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) Team program, which is its most specialized initiative designed to investigate crimes against children. CARD teams are trained to respond at a “moment’s notice” in cases of child abduction, the FBI said in a September 2025 statement, adding that time is a “central factor” when a child goes missing.
“It is crucial. Crucial,” special agent Jenifer Sparks said in a statement. “The first few hours can mean the difference between life and death.”
According to the FBI, historically, in child-abduction murder cases, 74 percent of victims are killed within three hours of being kidnapped, while 90 percent die within the first 24 hours.
According to data from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, it received more than 32,000 reports of missing children last year. The center estimates that one in seven were likely victims of sex trafficking.
