POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A record 219 suspects were arrested during a week-long undercover human trafficking operation in Polk County.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) said among the arrests were "suspects who solicited prostitutes and those who offered to commit prostitution and other suspects who profited from or aided and abetted prostitution."
So far, two suspects, Freddy Escalona, 30, and Maria Guzman, 36, have been charged with human trafficking.
PCSO said Escalona loaned a victim $22,000 to fix her car and made her "prostitute herself" to pay back the money. He then drove the victim to an undercover location, where he was taken into custody. Escalona allegedly told detectives he had several women he "worked" who paid him to transport them and "keep them safe."
According to officials, Guzman trafficked two victims from a hotel in Orlando and then set up "dates" for them, profiting from the money they made. She first met them online after she told them she was looking for someone to work construction, Sheriff Grady Judd said in a statement.
“Overwhelming more times than not, the victims will not give up their human trafficker. We think it’s wonderful this time that we found two, and we believe we’re going to be able to charge two more,” said Judd.
Officials were able to identify 21 human trafficking victims during the investigation, including three who were undocumented migrants.
“Florida receives the third highest amount of human trafficking in the country. So we are significantly high,” said Jodi Domangue, Executive Director of Anti-Trafficking for One More Child.
Leaders from organizations like One More Child accompanied deputies on these undercover operations to help determine whether people were being trafficked or sexually exploited.
“It’s critical because we’re able to build that relationship immediately, but I say time and time again, our real work happens the day after,” Domangue said.
Domangue said her organization continues to follow up with victims years later to ensure they receive services that can help them become self-sufficient.
“We have experts who have lived through the experience of being trafficked or sexually exploited to provide mentorship and life skills services, and we have trauma therapists,” Domangue said.
