Florida human trafficking bust leads to over 60 arrests, including former cop
photo Wset10
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Florida cracked down on human trafficking and prostitution with a new sting, nicknamed Operation Human Trafficking, which yielded 61 arrests.
“We have found a direct nexus between prostitution and human trafficking, and we combat this crime by conducting undercover prostitution investigations,” explained Sheriff Grady Judd in announcing the arrests. “Whether it is on the street or online, prostitution, and the crimes it attempts to disguise, is illegal and we will continue to investigate and arrest those involved.”
The results of the sheriff’s office’s undercover operation revealed that arrests came from all over Central Florida, including Tampa Bay, the surrounding Polk County, but also Valrico, Land ‘O Lakes, Lutz, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Brandon. Some were even from out of state.
The Patch coverage noted that of those arrested:
- 13 told detectives they were married
- 11 told detectives they were on public assistance
- 4 were arrested when they brought prostitutes to the undercover location
- 26 were prostitutes
- 31 were “johns,” or those who solicited to pay for prostitution
Among the 61 suspect, there were a total of 332 total previous felony, misdemeanor, and failure to appear charges, a media release stated, the article states.
Notable was
a former Baltimore police officer, Mete Girit, was apprehended after posting an ad offering “male escort services” and then asking for $200 for sex.
