POLK COUNTY, Fla. – Over 260 people were taken into custody after a massive operation kicked off in Central Florida, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
In a release, deputies said that the operation — dubbed “Polk Around and Find Out” — focused primarily on human trafficking, child predators, and illegal immigration.
A total of 266 arrests were made during the multi-day undercover investigation, deputies added. Of these, 247 were related to prostitution or other charges, and the remaining 19 were related to child sex predators.
[RELATED: ‘Santa Claus’ arrested in Central Florida child sex sting, sheriff says]
Per the release, the 127 suspects who travelled to commit prostitution were screened by investigators to figure out whether they were being trafficked by others.
“During this investigation, seven possible human trafficking victims were identified,” the release reads.
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.