148 arrested in Hillsborough County human trafficking operation: HCSO
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. - Deputies in Hillsborough County made 148 arrests and recovered seven victims in a human trafficking operation labeled "Operation Summer Shield."
According to Sheriff Chad Chronister, the goal of the operation was to prevent children from becoming victims of human trafficking while they were out of school during summer and had more time to be on the internet.
"So, from April 29, the 102 days during summer until Friday before school started, we really ramped up our efforts to combat human trafficking to assure that no child fell victim to human trafficking operations," explained Chronister.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office says that the first day of the operation broke records.
"That day, they broke a record for the number of individuals wanting to purchase sex on a single day. That was until the second day when they smashed that record almost an hour before the operation started," said Chronister.
According to the sheriff's office, "Operation Summer Shield" resulted in 148 individuals being arrested for various crimes, and 11 individuals were charged with human trafficking.
Chronister says seven victims were rescued. Two of the victims were 17-year-old girls, according to officials.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Sheriff Chronister highlighted the arrests of four of the ‘more egregious offenders.’ John Randall Craddock, 33, was arrested after sending explicit messages to who he thought was a 15-year-old girl, according to the sheriff's office.
Chronister says he was actually talking with an undercover detective.
Devante Kershaw, 28, was also arrested after communicating with an undercover detective, according to officials.
"After attempting to groom our undercover detective for nearly a month, it was time to meet. Kershaw was so confident that he met with our undercover detective for more than an hour, and our human trafficking squad closed the deal with a solid arrest and a Rico charge, amongst others," shared Chronister.
Dontae Burton is accused of forcing a 17-year-old girl to have sex for profit. Deputies say he would post explicit photos of her on adult escort websites, arrange dates and collect the money for her forced servitude.
According to Chronister, the 17-year-old was living at home with her mother, who had no idea what was going on.
"This sick scheme went on for about three months until we received a tip and our human trafficking squad quickly went to work. A federal arrest warrant was issued and Burton was taken into custody," said the sheriff.
Dennis Jose Aguilar-Maroto met his victim when she was only 16 years old at a neighborhood park, according to HCSO. After months of grooming her, Aguilar-Maroto began to pay her between $40 and $60 for sex acts when she turned 17, according to officials.
Investigators say this happened at least four times.
"It was not until our deputies encountered the two at an abandoned restaurant in Brandon that Aguilar-Maroto's criminal behavior ended. While on proactive patrol, deputies found the two in the back seat of a small SUV where they had sex in exchange for money, and Aguilar-Maroto was immediately arrested," said Chronister.
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Chronister says no one is above the law and everyone will be held accountable and prosecuted.
"Our mission is clear: to protect our community and hold traffickers accountable," said Sheriff Chronister. "We will not rest until every victim is safe, and every trafficker is behind bars. Let me be clear: traffickers, your days of exploiting innocent people are over in Hillsborough County."
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