WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd provided details Thursday about an undercover operation focused on human trafficking that resulted in more than 200 people arrested.
The sheriff's office said in a release the arrests were a result of a seven-day multi-agency operation called "Operation Traffic Stop" that began on Feb. 6. The people arrested included people who solicited prostitutes, those who offered to "commit prostitution" and others who "profited from or aided and abetted prostitution."
The sheriff's office said a total of 111 women were arrested for prostitution. Of those, 24 "possible human trafficking victims" were identified.
A total of 89 people were arrested for soliciting a prostitute and traveling to an undercover location to pay for sex. Thirteen other people were arrested, 10 of whom were either benefitting from another's prostitution or "aiding and abetting" prostitutes.
"Not only did we arrest more suspects during this single operation than we have ever arrested before, we identified 24 human trafficking victims — the highest number of victims we've ever rescued during one of these investigations," Judd said. "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."
According to Judd, 14 people arrested are suspected to be in the country "illegally," 13 from Cuba and one from Mexico. Six of the 14 migrants were identified as victims of human trafficking.
Judd singled out several of the people who were arrested during the operation, including a California man who serves on a public school board and a Tampa man accused of "pimping out his girlfriend" and bringing her to the undercover operation's undisclosed location.
Jer-Michael Bradley, 25, is also accused of bringing an 8-month-old to the meet-up. Judd also mentioned he was a convicted felon who brought a gun with him, too.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
You can watch the full press conference below or by clicking here.