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A two-day undercover police operation carried out in Miami resulted in the arrest of 15 individuals accused of sex trafficking minors, reported authorities in South Florida.
The operation, named "Operation Wrong Turn", was carried out on April 22 and 23 by the Human Trafficking Task Force of the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office and the Special Investigations Section of the Miami Police Department.
Undercover detectives posted an online advertisement posing as a mother offering the sexual services of her alleged daughters aged 13 and 15 in exchange for money.
The suspects responded to the advertisement, communicated via text and phone with the agents, and were explicitly informed at all times that the individuals involved were minors, yet they continued to negotiate and agreed to pay for sexual acts.
Once the price was agreed upon, the suspects were directed to a hotel in Miami where an undercover agent posing as a pimp received the money in the lobby.
Upon entering the room where the meeting was supposed to take place, they were arrested by tactical units without any incidents reported.
Five suspects were arrested on Wednesday, April 22, and another nine on Thursday, April 23.
According to a report by Telemundo, among those detained there were very diverse profiles: a university student, an aerospace engineer, and an employee of Miami-Dade County.
Additionally, HSI identified one of the suspects as a person of interest in a separate investigation for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
The 14 adults arrested are: Jacinto Brito Raymundo (23 years old, Miami-Dade), Edgardo Arturo Donaire (49 years old, Miramar), Josue Donis Castanon (20 years old, Fort Lauderdale), Carlos Adrian Flores Rojas (27 years old, Miami Gardens), Mandy Gonzalez (39 years old, Moore Haven), Oisnel Gonzalez Rodriguez (25 years old, Miami), Roberto Antonio Guido Rojas (38 years old, Miami), Creshawn Akcire Lewis-Starks (24 years old, West Park), Frank Carlos Lopez de la Rosa (24 years old, Miami-Dade), Kalaivanan Murugan (25 years old, Doral), Miles Simyon (22 years old, Sweetwater), Jonathan Lee Testa (25 years old, Miami-Dade), Marvin Geovanny Torres (43 years old, Miami-Dade), and Jony Esau Zeledon Rizo (33 years old, Miami-Dade).
The fifteenth detainee is a 16-year-old adolescent, whose identity has not been disclosed due to being a minor.
All the detainees reside in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, facing charges that include human trafficking, use of prohibited computer services, and using a computer to travel to meet with a minor, and are being held without the right to bail.
The operation also involved the Homeland Security Investigations Office (HSI), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), and the police departments of Homestead, Hialeah, Coral Gables, and Medley.
This operation is not an isolated incident. In May 2025, an identical undercover operation by the same Prosecutor's Office resulted in the arrest of three men who attempted to pay for sexual encounters with girls aged 12 and 14 at a hotel in Miami.
In 2023, two men were arrested for the sexual trafficking of minors in Hialeah as part of similar operations in South Florida.
Authorities have intensified these operations in anticipation of the FIFA World Cup 2026, which will bring more than a million visitors to Miami: the city will host seven matches at Hard Rock Stadium from June 11 to July 19.
In 2024, a Cuban in Miami was arrested for attempting to engage in relations with a minor, in another case that highlights the persistence of such crimes in the area.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney, Katherine Fernandez Rundle, was emphatic in evaluating the results of the operation as an example of success in the fight against modern slavery represented by human trafficking.
"It emphasizes the importance of our collaboration with local, state, and federal security agencies through proactive strategies to act against those who seek to exploit minors," he stated in a statement.
"These arrests should send a clear message to anyone trying to take advantage of our children, including the more than one million visitors we expect to attend our numerous major events this year. Come for the sun, the magnificent beaches, and the exciting events, but do not even think about exploiting our residents."
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