Polk Human Trafficking Sting Nets 213 Arrests, Rescues 24 Victims

A seven-day human trafficking investigation netted 213 arrests, including a California school board and a Tampa pizza chef accused of prostituting his girlfriend and brought along their 8-month-old baby. “We set up shop on social media and 200 people showed up,” Judd said. “And for every one we catch, there are probably five more who didn’t show up.“ Judd said: Five people were previously arrested by the Polk sheriff’s office during a similar undercover operation, and two of those were just arrested during the September 2022 “Operation Fall Haul II.” Fourteen arrested are suspected of being in the country illegally (13 from Cuba and one from Mexico), and six of the 14 were identified as victims of human trafficking. Thirty-five of those arrested told detectives they are married. Several of those arrested have criminal histories, including violent felonies such as kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault and sex offenses. Twenty-two of those arrested told detectives they receive government assistance. Detectives seized fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana from those arrested during the operation and 54 people were charged with drug violations. Source: patch.com/