A total of 219 people were arrested during the human trafficking operation. Sheriff Grady Judd held a press conference on Thursday, saying most of those taken to jail were no strangers to crime.
"The criminal histories of the folks include a total of 985 previous misdemeanor charges and 680 felony charges," he stated. "So, I don't want anyone to leave here thinking Oh, these are all just innocent victims – because a lot of them are not."
Four of those arrested are employed at Disney entities, and one is a coach and teacher at two area schools. Forty-one of the men arrested for soliciting prostitutes are married. (See related article)
Judd added that 35 suspects arrested are in the U.S. illegally. "They were here as suspects, but they were also here as victims," the sheriff explained. "They were forced, indentured into having to be here to pay off their transportation debt among other issues."
He went on to say that 21 people were identified as possible trafficking victims. Social service organizations participated in the sting to help identify them and provide services to help them get out of the criminal and immoral business.
