POLK COUNTY, Fla. – In a sweeping crackdown across Central Florida, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of more than 260 individuals.
This large-scale initiative, cleverly named “Polk Around and Find Out,” targeted human trafficking, child exploitation, and illegal immigration, according to officials.
Throughout this extensive undercover operation, deputies reported that they detained 266 individuals. Among these, 247 arrests were linked to charges involving prostitution or similar offenses, while 19 others were apprehended on counts related to child sex predation.
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The release also noted that investigators screened 127 individuals who had traveled with the intent to engage in prostitution to determine if they were victims of trafficking.
“This investigation led to the identification of seven potential human trafficking victims,” the release stated.
Furthermore, 108 suspects were arrested for soliciting a prostitute, and two of those suspects were caught bringing their children to the undercover location, yielding additional charges of child neglect, detectives revealed.
And of the 247 human-trafficking arrests, 34 are in the country illegally, and 22 are collecting public assistance, amounting to over $15,000 per month collectively, the sheriff’s office stated.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is set to hold a news conference on Friday morning to discuss the case further. That briefing is scheduled for 10 a.m.
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