Florida Sheriff Cracks Down On Sex Trade
TAMPA (CBSMiami/AP) - More than 100 people in the Tampa Bay area were arrested during a five-month-long investigation into human trafficking and the sex trade.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said 76 men were arrested for trying to buy sex, and 28 were women who were selling it.
"Operation Trade Secrets" concentrated on websites and forums known for soliciting sex, along with strip clubs, massage parlors, and motels. Female detectives posed as prostitutes and male officers posed as "johns."
Chronister said among the most disturbing arrests involved two men. An undercover detective posed as the stepfather of a 14-year-old girl and arranged for the two suspects to perform sex acts on the fictitious child. The sheriff says the things they requested were beyond description.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
