LAKELAND, Fla. (WSVN) — A 15-year-old girl is out of danger and two people are behind bars after an undercover operation in Central Florida ended in a human trafficking takedown.
The teen from Hillsborough County was reported missing earlier this year. In late June, detectives found her being used as an escort.
“It’s something that nobody should ever have to go through, let alone a child,” said youth and family advocate Ady Pena.
Detectives regularly monitor adult escort advertisements for suspicious activity. They spotted the teenager in one of the ads.
Detectives conducted an undercover operation in Lakeland in June where they rescued her.
Advocates at a nonprofit refuge for trafficked youth said she’s lucky.
“These are cases that we deal with every day. We see almost a new case daily,” said Pena.
Authorities said the teen identified 22-year-old Terrence Whitfield as her trafficker, who was then arrested.
Brittany Armstrong was also taken into custody. Investigators said she helped post the escort ads.
Detectives said Whitfield communicated with buyers — arranging sexual encounters, acting as security during the meetings and collecting the proceeds.
Gabrielle Triplett, a survivor of a different case, explained how the criminals usually operate.
“They work on building relationships with people, they work on finding out what their vulnerabilities are, what their weaknesses are, and then they exploit those,” she said.
The Lakeland case comes days after University of South Florida is St. Petersburg released a study showing just how widespread human trafficking is in the Sunshine State.
According to the report, about 200,000 Floridians are living as victims of sex trafficking and another 500,000 are being forced to work.
Tampa has the third most ads in the state. Miami is ranked at ninth.
The amount signifies a need for experts who can help the victims.
“We’re just there to provide services. We’re there to ensure that they have what they need in order to proceed and go on,” said Pena.
Both Whitfield and Armstrong face several charges related to human trafficking and prostitution.
Source:: News Miami – Fox News
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