A special police team in Florida caught 123 people in the past three months during a secret mission to stop human trafficking.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Human Trafficking Squad arrested individuals who were trying to engage in illegal activities online and those involved in soliciting prostitution. They called this mission Operation Renewed Hope.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister stated, “The arrests made by our dedicated Human Trafficking Squad transcend mere statistics. They represent our commitment to protect the innocent and a persistent effort to safeguard the most vulnerable members of our community.”
Undercover police officers posed as sex workers and operated in hotels and motels to catch adults attempting to communicate with children and teenagers. The officers apprehended individuals in different positions of authority.
“We have come face to face with individuals from all walks of life, some of whom held positions of trust and authority,” Chronister remarked. “That shockingly included a teacher, nurse, basketball coach and a person employed by a spiritual organization. These are individuals who betrayed our trust.”
They targeted James Villacorteza, a 28-year-old science teacher, who, thinking he was talking to a 15-year-old boy, expressed his desire for sexual activities, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times.
The following day, deputies, acting as the child online, arrested Villacorteza at James Elementary School. He was charged with trying to meet a minor for sex and soliciting sexual acts from a child.
Detectives also worked on decreasing the demand for prostitution. They arrested Zheng Dong, a 39-year-old person, who was taken into police custody in 2022 for human trafficking.
“In May 2022, he was arrested for traveling to have sex with a minor who turned out to be one of our undercover detectives. He was charged with human trafficking and at the time, you would have thought that this would have been enough to stop him and make him rethink his choices. We were wrong,” Chronister stated. “Detectives arrested him again for soliciting another to commit prostitution.”
Authorities also found persons trying to exchange sex for cash with parents who were offering their kids for sex.
Considering that predators tend to target youngsters during school breaks, the sheriff carried out the sting operations throughout the holidays.
“As we approached the holiday season, where children are out of school and spending much more time online, I wanted to ensure that our children would be protected and those wanting to pay for sex and fuel the sex trade were not getting a free pass because of the holidays,” Chronister stated.
