POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A sprawling nine-day undercover human trafficking operation conducted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, which started on May 2, 2025, has led to the arrest of 244 individuals involved in soliciting or offering prostitution, or aiding and abetting these illegal acts.
The arrests included 141 suspects charged with soliciting a prostitute after traveling to the undercover location to negotiate sex for money. An additional 10 suspects were arrested for aiding/abetting, transporting, or deriving proceeds from prostitutes.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said that detectives and the social services partners screened 93 suspects who traveled to the location offering prostitution to determine if they were victims of human trafficking or exploitation.
As a result of this screening process, four possible human trafficking victims were identified. These individuals were offered services by the social services organizations on-site.
In total, detectives filed 102 felony and 284 misdemeanor charges during the operation. Authorities noted the extensive criminal histories among the arrested suspects, who collectively had prior records totaling 400 felonies and 519 misdemeanors.
Previous charges included serious offenses such as premeditated murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, robbery, aggravated battery, and sexual assault.
“This is the highest number of suspects we’ve ever arrested during a single undercover operation,” stated Sheriff Grady Judd. He also revealed that in a related effort, 11 child predators who solicited individuals they believed were children online were arrested. “The online prostitution industry enables traffickers and allows for the continued victimization of those who are being trafficked,” Sheriff Judd said. “Our goal is to identify victims, offer them help, and arrest those who are fueling the exploitation of human beings (Johns) and those profiting from the exploitation of human beings. Prostitution is not a victimless crime – it results in exploitation, disease, drug and alcohol addiction, violence, and broken families.”
Details about the suspects arrested include:
- 36 are identified as being in the U.S. illegally, originating from eight different countries.
- 221 are from outside Polk County, including visitors from 12 different states.
- 22 suspects reported receiving government assistance totaling $18,617 per month.
- The youngest suspect arrested is 17, while the oldest is 70.
- Eight firearms were brought to the location by different suspects.
- 25 individuals were charged with possession of narcotics.
Suspects came from various backgrounds, including active-duty military personnel, veterans, and individuals in the medical profession.
Several had previously been arrested by PCSO during similar sting operations.
The operation saw PCSO detectives collaborate with a wide array of federal, state, and local partners, including investigators from the Department of Homeland Security, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division, the Attorney General James Uthmeier Office of Statewide Prosecution, State Attorney for the 10th Judicial Circuit Brian Haas, the Hillsborough, Lake, and Pasco County Sheriff’s Offices, and police departments from Auburndale, Bartow, Clermont, Davenport, Haines City, Lake Alfred, Lake Wales, Winter Haven, and Zephyrhills.
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