LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — The Lake County Sheriff’s office recently carried out ‘Operation Forced Labor,” which led to the arrest of 29 people for prostitution and drug-related offenses and identified and rescued four human trafficking victims.
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The operation was carried out by LCSO’s Special Investigations Bureau, Homeland Security, and multiple Central Florida law enforcement agencies.
Operation Forced Labor focused on the “identification, safe recovery and stabilization of human trafficking victims.”
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During the operation, undercover detectives used various known prostitution websites to solicit prostitutes and individuals looking for services provided by prostitutes.
According to a news release, 33 individuals traveled to meet undercover detectives intending to engage in criminal activity.
Four individuals were identified as victims of human trafficking and were not charged.
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The victims were provided resources and safely relocated by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, with the assistance of Homeland Security.
“This was a collaborative effort. Our detectives and other law enforcement partners worked very hard together to identify and rescue these victims of human trafficking and connect them to valuable resources that are available to assist them,” said Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell. “We want these victims to know there is a way out.”
Detectives were able to arrest one of the suspects responsible for trafficking one of the victims during their investigation, deputies said.
Additional arrests related to the remaining three human trafficking victims are pending further investigation, according to the news release.
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