A human trafficking raid in Florida resulted in the arrest of 157 individuals, including 25 illegal immigrants, some of whom reportedly obtained federal benefits after entering the country.
Along with representatives from other law enforcement agencies from Marion County, Lake County, Auburndale, Clermont, Davenport, Winter Haven, Lakeland, and Tampa, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd announced that 157 suspects were arrested as part of “Operation Autumn Sweep” for committing crimes related to soliciting prostitutes, offering to commit prostitution, and aiding and abetting prostitutes.
For going to sexually abuse minors, three more people were taken into custody.
Four potential victims of human trafficking were identified from the 47 prostitutes that appeared at covert sites to engage in prostitution during the operation, which started on October 2.
According to Judd’s office, 96 suspects were detained for soliciting prostitution, and of the 157 individuals detained, 201 misdemeanors and 35 felonies were imposed.
“The approach of Hurricane Milton caused us to end our investigation earlier than planned, but it’s still amazing that in such a short amount of time we were able to put 157 people in jail, and three child predators,” Judd stated.
The sheriff clarified that 25 of the 157 individuals detained were illegally present in the United States from nations such as Cuba, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela.
“Sixteen percent of these total arrests were people who should not even have been in this country,” according to the sheriff. “But they were here, and they were here because we have a federal government that enabled these criminals to come into the country, and they treated them very well after the criminals came here illegally.”
Judd told the tale of a female suspect who brought her child to the United States. The woman informed authorities that she flew from Venezuela into Mexico and then crossed the border with her child to enter El Paso, Texas.
According to Judd, the woman was met by the Border Patrol upon her arrival in Texas.
“There is no border security at the southern border. Zero. It doesn’t exist,” Judd stated.
He added that after completing the procedure at the Border Patrol processing center, the woman was assigned to a migrant housing facility.
The woman claimed that after undergoing a DNA test to confirm that her DNA matched that of her child, she was informed of the advantages available to her in the United States. Judd said the woman was informed that she qualified for SNAP and Medicaid.
She supposedly subsequently received a free ticket from Texas to Chicago, where she was unable to find work. According to Judd, the woman chose to travel to Florida and even received a complimentary ticket to the Sunshine State.
“She was given free housing, all because the United States paid for that. That’s right. Use the taxpayers,” Judd stated. “This was not a stealthful act, and they gave her free travel, free housing, free food, free medical care. All while people from the hurricane are still waiting for help.”
Four of the women named as victims of human trafficking were carried across the border, according to Judd, and two of them acknowledged having to repay a $6,000 coyote bill.
“Make no mistake about it, the government is complicit and is aiding and abetting human trafficking in the United States,” Judd stated. “In addition to that, there is a wide-open border where fentanyl is coming across, and that is encouraged, and as a result of that, we have thousands upon thousands of people dying in the United States. And then the best that our federal politicians can say was, ‘well, it didn’t kill as many people this year as last year.'”
Along with the illegal immigrants, Judd’s office reported that 131 suspects were from outside Polk County, including nine states and the United Kingdom; 26 suspects told detectives they were married; nine claimed to have received government assistance; ten brought illegal drugs, including cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana, to the locations where they planned to meet; and ten brought firearms to the undercover location.
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In the sting, the youngest person detained was 15, and the oldest was 61.
Additionally, according to Judd’s office, three suspects were veterans or active-duty military personnel, three worked at Disney World, three had previously been taken into custody by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in similar stings, and multiple suspects claimed to have left their fiancé or spouse at home while they were at work, shopping, or the gym.
