With the wrap of the FIFA World Cup, Florida officials on Monday announced 178 arrests due to efforts to combat human trafficking after seven matches were played in Miami Gardens.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle will be joined by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and local law enforcement.
During the FIFA World Cup in South Florida, the Attorney General’s Office and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office said that close to 30 undercover operations resulted in 178 arrests from June 2 through the end of the event.
Over the course of roughly one month, the task force engaged in 28 undercover operations, four per week, making 178 total arrests, 23 human trafficking arrests, and close to 40 people for soliciting sex. They also saved 17 victims.
Before the matches started, 12 men were arrested after they traveled to meet what they believed were children between the ages of 13 and 15 for sex. Investigators say the suspects made payments before being taken into custody by law enforcement officers.
In July, seven suspects from across Broward County were arrested in “Operation Red Card.”
Before the final game at Hard Rock Stadium on July 18, at least three more men were arrested in South Florida amid ongoing undercover child sex trafficking enforcement.