TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WKRG) — Tuesday morning the City of Tallahassee Police Department announced 178 arrests from a large scale human trafficking investigation.
The department announced the findings in a press conference on their Facebook page.
Police stated that over 100 of the suspects were charged with various felonies that included: production of child porn, human sex trafficking of a minor, online solicitation of prostitution, and other charges related to human trafficking of children.
City of Tallahassee’s Police department are asking other victims to come forward.
Watch the entire press conference on the video player at the top of this story.
HERE IS THE FULL PRESS RELEASE FROM POLICE:
Today, Nov. 17, marked the conclusion to a large-scale human trafficking investigation conducted by the Tallahassee Police Department over the last two years. This in-depth and thorough investigation resulted in the arrest of more than 170 people on charges ranging from solicitation of prostitution to human trafficking of a minor. “This investigation is a testament to how diligent our investigators work to enhance the quality of life for everyone in this community, especially our vulnerable population. They worked tirelessly to bring justice to the victim in this case and were able to make an unprecedented number of human trafficking related arrests,” Chief Lawrence Revell said. “I could not be prouder of the steadfast efforts of our investigators and the joint effort with our partners to stop the illegal and dehumanizing practice of human trafficking.” The investigation began in November 2018 when TPD investigators saw images of a child were being posted on a website that advertises sex for money. Investigators with TPD’s Special Victims Unit set up an operation to rescue the child to ensure her safety. This was a pivotal point in the operation, called “Stolen Innocence.”The investigation uncovered an enormous amount of electronic evidence that required months to evaluate. The electronic evidence helped investigators further develop the case and determine how many suspects were involved and to what extent. As a result, 72 suspects were charged with misdemeanors and notices to appear, 106 suspects were charged with felonies and 18 face federal charges. Read more here https://bit.ly/35D6UUN
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