The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) announced a five-day human trafficking operation yielded nearly 160 arrests.

The operation, called “Operation Autumn Sweep,” led to 157 arrests of people involved in alleged criminal activity related to sex work.

Sheriff Grady Judd said suspects were ”involved in illegal acts related to soliciting prostitutes, offering to commit prostitution, or aiding and abetting prostitutes,” WKMG reports.

“25 illegal immigrants were arrested in this operation,” Judd said during a press conference.

“Sixteen percent of these total arrests were people who should not have even been in this country,” he continued.

“There is no border security at the Southern Border. Zero. It doesn’t exist,” he added.

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WKMG reports:

Sheriff’s officials said four possible human trafficking victims were identified during the operation.

In addition to the 157 arrested, three other people were arrested for soliciting “who they thought were children online, and charged with traveling to meet a minor, attempted lewd and lascivious battery on a minor, and use of a computer to seduce a child,” a release said.

One of these suspects, 28-year-old Branden Orr, told a detective who was posing as a girl that he could go to their house and that he wanted to take her to Disney, Judd said. The sheriff’s office said Orr told detectives he is a lifeguard at Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.

“Sheriff Grady Judd is briefing the media about Operation Autumn Sweep, an undercover investigation during which 157 suspects were arrested – as well as 3 suspects who were arrested for soliciting who they thought were children online for sex. One of those suspects – Michael Gillis – is out on bond from Minnesota for committing the same crime there,” Judd said.

From ABC Action News:

In addition, PCSO said 96 suspects were arrested for soliciting a sex worker and traveling to the undercover location to negotiate having sex in exchange for money

Fourteen other suspects were arrested on other charges. One was charged with human trafficking.

Sheriff Judd said the operation ended early due to the approaching hurricane, and he called it amazing that they could arrest 157 in that short time.

Of the arrests, PCSO said that:

  • Twenty-six suspects told detectives they were married.
  • Twenty-five of the arrested are suspected of being undocumented migrants and are from Cuba, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela.
  • Ten suspects brought illegal drugs to the location: cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana.
  • Ten guns were brought to the undercover location
  • A total of 131 suspects were outside Polk County, including nine states and the United Kingdom: Arkansas, California, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
  • The people arrested ages ranged between 15 and 61
  • Three suspects were either active duty military or veterans

Three suspects that were arrested worked at Disney World.

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