MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office arrested six men during a human trafficking operation called “Operation Refuge” that spanned over the past several months.
Last Thursday and Friday, detectives conducted simultaneous undercover operations focused on combating human trafficking and arresting individuals responding to online advertisements for sex with minors.
Close to 200 people responded to the ads on adult websites and knowingly inquired about meeting minors for sex.
In each instance, the girls' ages were given, yet they continued to talk to the minors.
Of those who inquired, six men made arrangements to meet up with a minor and were subsequently arrested after money was exchanged.
26-year-old Jerome Jeffson, 32-year-old Marckendy Dariste, 35-year-old Edward Aji, 29-year-old Juan Ojeda, 21-year-old Miguel De La Cruz, and 44-year-old Andrew Lang were all charged with engaging in human trafficking labor and traveling to meet a minor.
Everyone except for Dariste was also charged with unlawful use of a two-way comm device.
"Operation Refuge" consisted of search warrants at illicit massage parlors as well as undercover operations focused on victim recovery and arrests of people knowingly participating in human trafficking.
One victim was recovered, and detectives gathered information on other possible victims.
The sheriff's office said more victims are likely, and charges are pending for another individual identified through the operation.
