Miami, (EFE).- A total of 213 people, including 111 prostitutes, were arrested in an operation against the treats of people and prostitution headed by the Polk County Police, in central Florida (USA), as reported by the authorities on Thursday.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a press conference that during the investigation, 24 possible female victims of human trafficking were identified out of the 111 prostitutes who were arrested.
Some of those arrested, he added, arrived from outside the borders of the United States, deceived with false job offers and were later forced into prostitution.
“The plot is still under investigation,” the official stressed, after indicating that several people “were deceived and when they found out they were told they had to prostitute themselves.”
Judd did not indicate whether the 24 women suspected of being trafficked were being held against their will.
The undercover operation, called “Operation Traffic Stop”, began on February 6 and involved different police departments in the state of Florida and the State Attorney’s Office for the Tenth Judicial Circuit.
Other organizations that have joined to support some of the detainees are the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), One More Child and Selah Libertad, among others.
Another 89 suspects were arrested for soliciting prostitution services and traveling to negotiate for sex for money.
The number of arrested is completed with 13 individuals suspected of obtaining profits from prostitution by instigating third parties to practice it.
Likewise, fourteen of the detainees are suspected of remaining illegally in the country (13 from Cuba and one from Mexico), of which 6 were identified as victims of human trafficking.
Detectives charged those arrested with a total of 68 felonies and 308 crimes against minors.
Several of the suspects have criminal histories, including violent offenses such as kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault and sexual offenses.
Detectives who participated in the operation seized fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana from the detainees.
