POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County deputies arrested 228 people during the span of about a week for "Operation March Sadness," an undercover investigation into human trafficking and prostitution.
Forty-two people arrested were from Polk County, Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference Tuesday.
Among those taken into custody were school teachers, coaches and active-duty military members, according to the sheriff's office. Investigators said they also identified 13 possible human trafficking victims.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office received support for this investigation from local police departments and social services organizations, including One More Child, Heartland for Children and Selah Freedom.
Kadian Parchment with Heartland for Children says in many cases, human trafficking victims know their abuser and are being groomed.
“They may be thinking ‘stranger danger,’ but oftentimes these people do befriend them through video games, through class, through sports and they take advantage of that vulnerability and that friendship,” Parchment said.
Parchment was on the ground with investigators during "Operation March Sadness."
“I saw one, a lot of people who were not from this country having to work off debt or be trafficked as a means for survival,” she explained.
Parchment said that even with big stings like this, there is so much more work that needs to be done.
“Florida is just one of those places where there's so many people in and out that the likelihood of trafficking does increase because it's such a transient state,” she added.
Of the couple hundred people arrested, 150 were accused of soliciting a prostitute and traveling to an undercover location to negotiate having sex in exchange for money, the sheriff's office said.
Investigators did not mention anyone arrested in connection to a charge of human trafficking.
"This is a new record number of arrests during an investigation of this kind," Judd said in a statement.
Advocates and law enforcement previously told 10 Tampa Bay that the key to combating trafficking is to be aware and know the signs that help recognize a situation involving sex and human trafficking. They said if you see something, say something.
Detectives also seized various drugs such as fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and MDMA, among others. The 44 suspects who brought illegal drugs to the undercover location were arrested.
During spring break, the Tampa Bay area is expected to see an influx of people. Heartland for Children encourages people to stay in groups, be aware of their surroundings and be cognizant of people possibly following them.