Florida authorities indicated that an undercover operation resulted in the arrest of 228 suspects linked to human trafficking, including some from Cuba.
According to an official statement shared by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the operation was called “March Sadness” and was carried out in said territory for a period of eight days.
The suspects were arrested for carrying out illegal acts linked to sexual services in said territory, in the center of the state.
66 alleged workers were arrested, 13 of whom were identified as possible victims of human trafficking. Likewise, 150 people were taken into custody for allegedly requesting services and traveling to a location for the purpose of carrying out a transaction.
“This is a new record number of arrests during an investigation of this type. More importantly, we identified 13 victims of human trafficking; During two previous similar operations, in February and October 2023, we identified 24 and 21 victims, respectively. There are 58 victims that we were able to identify in one year,” said Sheriff Grady Judd during the aforementioned press conference.
The police arrested another 12 people who benefited from these activities or transported the women to where they carried out these acts.
In total, the more than 200 detainees have accumulated 879 charges of serious crimes against them, as well as 1,150 charges of minor crimes. In addition to Americans and Cubans, those detained also included people from Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. At the moment, the exact number of Cubans detained in the operation is unknown.
North American authorities also confiscated illegal drugs and 17 firearms as part of the undercover operation.
Among the most alarming details of the case is that, among those detained, there were two minor brothers, ages 16 and 17, accused of an attempted armed robbery.
The undercover operation had the participation and support of detectives from several jurisdictions, including Auburndale, Davenport, Haines City, Lakeland, Lake Hamilton, Lake Wales, St. Cloud, as well as personnel from the Winter Haven Fire Rescue Department.
Institutions such as the State Attorney’s Office for the Tenth Judicial Circuit, members of the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), State Attorney Brian Haas, and social service organizations such as One More Child, Heartland for Children and Selah Freedom were also present and played an important role in the operation.
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