Florida police arrest 277 people in just five days by posing as prostitutes to snare men and responding to other sex workers' online ads
By Jennifer Smith
Daily Mail
October 19, 2017
Police in Florida have arrested 277 people as part of an undercover sex sting.
Officers from four different departments in central Florida were involved in the effort which they proudly dubbed 'Operation No Tricks No Treats'.
Between October 11 and October 15, they posed as prostitutes online to lure 209 men looking for illegal sex.
The men were arrested after driving to an undisclosed location where officers were waiting for them.
Fifty-one prostitutes were also arrested as part of the investigation.
They were picked up at a separate location where officers, pretending to be customers, had asked them to travel to.
The youngest of those arrested was 16 and the oldest was 74.
Five people who are feared to be victims of human trafficking were also taken into custody. It is not clear whether or not they face any charges.
On Thursday, Polk County Sheriff's Office shared details of the operation online.
The majority of the suspects are Florida residents though a portion were visiting from 14 other states.
The 277 suspects now face a 334 charges combined. They include prostitution, soliciting a prostitute, traveling to meet a minor, human trafficking and drug possession with intent to sell.
In a statement, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said: 'We are committed to fighting human trafficking, by arresting those who engage in prostitution and trying to identify human trafficking victims.
'It's no secret...you need to stay out of Polk County if you're going to commit crime.'
Sheriff Judd is known for his creative investigations and arrest announcements.
Earlier this month, he made headlines at a press conference where he told of a 'dirty dozen' collection of pedophiles who had been arrested for child sex or child pornography offences.
The men included a former Walt Disney World employee who was arrested for making sex dolls out of swimming noodles.
Judd referred to them in disgust as the man's 'sex babies'.
No comments:
Post a Comment