(WHDH) — A six-day undercover human trafficking sting led to the arrests of 108 people in Florida this month.
The sting, referred to as “Operation March Sadness 2,” began on March 8 and led to the identification of prostitutes and people seeking prostitutes, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Law enforcement members also arrested one suspected human trafficker and four suspected child sexual predators.
“The arrests of a human trafficker and four child predators alone makes this whole operation worthwhile,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. “The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and victimizes those who are being trafficked. Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and find and arrest those who are profiting from the exploitation of human beings. Johns fuel the trafficking and victimization. Where there is prostitution, there is exploitation, disease, dysfunction, and broken families.”
During the operation, the sheriff’s office says members of anti-trafficking organizations were on hand to speak with prostitutes to help determine if they were human trafficking victims. Those victims were offered services and counseling.
The oldest person arrested was a 67-year-old man while the youngest was a 17-year-old male, the sheriff’s office said.
Judd added that four of the people arrested, including one of the suspected child sexual predators, work for Disney.
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