A seven-day undercover operation led to the arrest of 219 individuals involved in human trafficking and related crimes in Florida. Among those arrested were three Disney employees and a high school athletic director.
The operation, dubbed “Operation Traffic Stop 2,” was conducted earlier this month in Polk County, Florida. It resulted in 44 felony charges and 242 misdemeanor charges.
The operation identified at least 21 possible victims of human trafficking out of 119 alleged prostitutes who were taken into custody. Two individuals, Freddy Escalona, 30, and Maria Guzman, 36, were charged most severely with human trafficking.
Russell Rogers, an athletic director at Vanguard School and a teacher at Auburndale High School REAL Academy, was also arrested for allegedly soliciting a prostitute. Polk County Schools expressed their disappointment and are moving to fire him, stating that such conduct has no place in their school system, FOX News reported.
“This dude now is coaching in the county jail,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said. “I can’t believe we want somebody like this around our children.”
Three Disney employees were also among those arrested, including a security guard, a custodian, and a training coordinator.
“What would an op be if we didn’t arrest someone employed by Disney?” Judd said.
WATCH:
HUMAN TRAFFICKING: Florida teacher, Disney employees, and 35 illegal immigrants among 219 arrested in human trafficking operation in Polk County, Florida.
Good job pic.twitter.com/oJZO9mWXIu
— Dr. Anastasia Maria Loupis (@DrLoupis) September 30, 2023
You can watch the full press conference below:
This should not come as a surprise. The Gateway Pundit has been reporting on the human trafficking sting in Florida.
In May 2022, four Disney employees, a retired judge among the 108 arrested in a human trafficking sting in Central Florida.
The arrests of a human trafficker and four child predators alone makes this whole operation worthwhile,” Sheriff Judd said during a presser. “Where there is prostitution, there is exploitation, disease, dysfunction and broken families.”
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