POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A five-day human trafficking operation in Polk County led to over 100 arrests, officials announced Thursday.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) said the undercover operation started on Oct. 2.
They arrested 157 people involved in alleged criminal activity related to sex work.
During the operation, PCSO said 47 sex workers showed up at the undercover location to allegedly commit illegal acts. Of those 47, four of those people are suspected to be possible human trafficking victims.
In addition, PCSO said 96 suspects were arrested for soliciting a sex worker and traveling to the undercover location to negotiate having sex in exchange for money
Fourteen other suspects were arrested on other charges. One was charged with human trafficking.
Sheriff Judd said the operation ended early due to the approaching hurricane, and he called it amazing that they could arrest 157 in that short time.
Of the arrests, PCSO said that:
- Twenty-six suspects told detectives they were married.
- Twenty-five of the arrested are suspected of being undocumented migrants and are from Cuba, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela.
- Ten suspects brought illegal drugs to the location: cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana.
- Ten guns were brought to the undercover location
- A total of 131 suspects were outside Polk County, including nine states and the United Kingdom: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
- The people arrested ages ranged between 15 and 61
- Three suspects were either active duty military or veterans
Three suspects that were arrested worked at Disney World. According to PCSO, one of the suspects who works at Disney World told the decoy that he "wanted to take the girl to Disney." He said if he came to her house, they could "watch a movie, cuddle, make out, and have sex."
The suspect was arrested for multiple felonies, including attempted lewd/lascivious battery on a minor. He was a lifeguard at Disney World and was engaged to be married.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
