Miami law enforcement has arrested 15 suspects — including a college student, an aerospace engineer, and a Miami-Dade County employee — in an undercover operation targeting those seeking to pay for sex with minors.
Dubbed “Operation Wrong Turn,” the sting was conducted by the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Human Trafficking Task Force and Miami Police Department’s Special Investigations Section. Undercover officers posed as a mother offering her two daughters, ages 13 and 15, for paid sexual encounters.
When suspects arrived at a designated hotel expecting to meet the minors, tactical officers were waiting to take them into custody. Five were arrested Wednesday night, nine more on Thursday, and a 16-year-old suspect was also taken in, bringing the total to 15. All face human trafficking charges.
Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said the operation demonstrates law enforcement’s commitment to combating what she called “modern-day slavery.” She issued a pointed warning to anyone attending the region’s major events this year: “Come for the sunshine, great beaches, and exciting events — but don’t even think of exploiting our residents.”
