219 people were arrested earlier this month for a large human trafficking operation that was uncovered in Polk County Florida.
119 of those arrested were prostitutes, and the police suspect at least 21 of those were possible human trafficking victims. Two suspects were charged with human trafficking, and both were in the U.S. illegally.
“Not only did we arrest more suspects during this single operation than we have ever arrested before, we identified 21 human trafficking victims; during a similar operation in February, we identified 24 victims. That’s 45 victims we were able to identify this year. The valuable relationships that we have with the social services organizations who join us in these operations make it possible for these women to get help and be emancipated from this way of life.” Grady Judd.
Detectives charged a total of 44 felonies and 242 misdemeanors during the investigation.