A multi-level operation, aptly named “Fool Around and Find Out,” nabbed 255 suspected human traffickers, child sex predators and illegal migrants in Central Florida.
The Polk County, Florida, operation, conducted over nine days in May, resulted in the arrest of the highest number of individuals ever recorded in a single sting by the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Grady Judd told Fox News Digital that the operation was a coordinated effort with multiple law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which was embedded for the first time with the Central Florida department.
“We made a lot of arrests. Our team preps in advance. We know what places to go on social media to find those evil people or to set up for them to come to us, so they did a remarkable job.”
Detectives charged a total of 102 felonies and 284 misdemeanors during the investigation. (Getty Images)
Judd said Polk County has a zero-tolerance stance on criminal activity.
“This is not the last one. This is just the last one. There’s going to be another one, and another one and another one.”
Judd’s message is clear: those who come to Florida with criminal intent will not remain in the shadows and will be publicly held accountable.
“Florida is the vacation state. People come from all around the world with their children,” he said. “We want to make sure that it’s a safe environment, and it is.”
“If you think you’re gonna sneak here and, ‘Hey, what goes on in Florida stays in Florida’, that’s wrong,” he said. ” I’ll put you on blast all across the nation, and that’s a guarantee.”
