An undercover operation lasting seven days in Polk County, Florida, concluded this Friday with 281 arrests and 488 new criminal charges, including 198 felonies, as announced by Attorney General James Uthmeier alongside Sheriff Grady Judd.
Among those detained are 32 undocumented immigrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Mexico, and Haiti, of whom 16 have already been handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The operation, named "Polk Around and Find Out II," conducted two simultaneous investigations: one targeting adults traveling to meet minors for sexual purposes, which resulted in 32 arrests, and another focused on human trafficking, leading to an additional 249 arrests, including 117 sex buyers and 122 individuals arrested for prostitution.
The official statement does not specify how many of the 32 undocumented immigrants are specifically Cuban. Their handover to ICE falls under the 287(g) program, under which over 29,000 local agents in Florida collaborate with the federal agency on immigration functions.
Entre los arrestados hay 32 inmigrantes indocumentados, 16 de los cuales ya fueron entregados a ICE. Sigue los últimos desarrollos sobre operativos migratorios y sus consecuencias en nuestra sección de
The profiles of those arrested were striking: among them are 17 theme park employees —13 from Disney and four from Universal Studios— a sheriff's deputy from Orange County, a youth soccer coach, and an active-duty sailor in the U.S. Navy.
Only 40 of the 281 detainees resided in Polk County. The rest came from other areas of Florida, 20 additional states, and 18 countries.
In total, the arrested individuals had a combined 798 prior charges, 358 of which were felonies. Nine were on probation for offenses ranging from bank robbery to child cruelty, and nine had been captured in previous operations by the same sheriff.
The suspects were carrying 24 weapons at the time of their arrest, and 32 were charged with drug possession, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl.
Uthmeier was straightforward in assessing the results: "Predators who target children in Florida will be hunted down and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Those who came to Polk County expecting to harm a minor found handcuffs instead."
Sheriff Judd, for his part, issued a direct appeal to parents: "These predators are out there, online, trying to manipulate and harm our children. I urge parents to engage with their kids and oversee their online activities. We cannot stop predators from trying to contact them, but we can educate them and be proactive in catching a predator before they can do any harm."
Traveling to meet a minor for sexual purposes is a second-degree felony in Florida, punishable by up to 15 years in prison under section 847.0135(4) of the Florida Statutes.
This is the second edition of the operation. The first, announced on May 1st, resulted in 266 arrests, including 19 suspected child sexual predators.
In April, an undercover police operation in Miami resulted in the arrest of 15 individuals accused of minor sex trafficking.
The operation, called "Operation Wrong Turn," was carried out 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 pretending to be a mother offering the sexual services of her supposed daughters, aged 13 and 15, in exchange for money.
The suspects responded to the ad, maintained communications via text and phone with the agents, and despite being informed that the individuals involved were minors, they continued negotiating and agreed to pay for sexual acts.
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