The operation allowed the arrest of 108 people, including women allegedly forced into prostitution and predators of minors
MIAMI.- A total of 108 people were arrested in Florida in the course of an undercover operation for suspected human trafficking that lasted at least a week, titled “Operation March Sadness 2”.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office in central Florida said detectives identified prostitutes posting ads online, as well as “customers” seeking those people through online communications.
According to the police, the purpose of the operation was to “identify and free the victims” who were being forced into prostitution, or any person who participated in human trafficking.
During law enforcement actions, investigators also identified and investigated adults who engaged in sexually charged online communications with whom they believed to be children. For this reason, four men were arrested for allegedly preying on children online.
“The arrests of one human trafficker and four child predators alone make this whole operation worth it. The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and victimizes those being trafficked,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
The operation also led to the arrest of four employees of Disney, who were among the more than 100 people.
Police spokesmen said that in order to achieve the arrests, undercover detectives communicated online with the suspects and organized meetings that ended in the arrest of those people.
The oldest person arrested in this new blow to human trafficking gangs was Derek Collins, 67, and the youngest was a 17-year-old teenager. Both were arrested for soliciting a prostitute.
One of the Disney employees was a 27-year-old man who worked as a lifeguard at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, according to the sheriff’s office.
Daniel Peters, a former Cook County judge in Illinois, was also arrested in the operation.