Florida Sheriff: 21 Suspected Illegals Among 228 Arrested in Human Trafficking Sting

Florida Sheriff
Polk County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
Amy Furr

Officials arrested 228 people during a recent eight-day human trafficking sting in Florida, with 21 of those taken into custody suspected of being illegal aliens.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that the undercover operation began February 22, and the more than 200 individuals nabbed were involved in illegal activity connected to prostitution, offering to commit prostitution, or aiding and abetting prostitutes in the area.

Several local police departments and one fire rescue agency helped with the investigation, the sheriff’s office said, adding that “The Office of the State Attorney 10th Judicial Circuit, State Attorney Brian Haas, members from the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), and social services organizations One More Child; Heartland for Children; and Selah Freedom, were also on-hand.”

The agency said 13 possible human trafficking victims were identified among 66 prostitutes arrested in the operation:

There were 150 suspects arrested for soliciting a prostitute and traveling to the undercover location to negotiate having sex in exchange for money; 12 other suspects were arrested, and of those, 8 were either deriving proceeds from prostitution or transporting prostitutes to the undercover location.

Detectives charged a total of 70 felonies and 288 misdemeanors during the investigation. The suspects’ criminal histories included a combined total of 879 felonies and 1,150 misdemeanors.

The sheriff’s office also said, “21 of the arrested are suspected of being in the country illegally; Those who are here illegally are from Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela.”

During a press conference early Tuesday, Sheriff Grady Judd detailed the operation, which the agency named “Operation March Sadness 2024.”

At one point during his announcement, Judd held up a sign that read “Federal Policy Drives Illegal Immigrant Crime and Victimization” above photos of multiple suspects:

Video footage recorded inside a hotel room shows individuals involved in the undercover sting, per News Nation:

Judd told the outlet he was “shocked” at the number of arrests, adding, “We had two or three coaches and a teacher. We had a former detention deputy, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Those people should know better.”

In April, a Convention of States Action/Trafalgar Group survey found a plurality of likely American general election voters believed the trafficking of women and children is the most concerning aspect of the border crisis that is happening under Democrat President Joe Biden’s watch, Breitbart News reported.

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