Six men were arrested on Wednesday in an undercover operation targeting people accused of attempting to pay for sex with minors they believed they met online, according to the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office.
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The arrests bring the total number of people taken into custody in similar undercover operations to more than 30 since April.
Investigators allege the men responded to online advertisements they believed were to connect with minors. Instead, they were communicating with undercover law enforcement officers.
Among those arrested was 30-year-old John Alcin.
Prosecutors said Alcin allegedly arranged to meet what he believed was a 14-year-old girl at an undisclosed location. When he arrived, investigators said he handed an undercover officer $200 before he was arrested.
Records showed those arrested come from a variety of professions, including engineers, construction workers and a county employee.
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The arrests come as South Florida hosts major international events, including FIFA World Cup matches, bringing thousands of visitors to the region.
Ahead of the tournament, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle gave NBC6 an inside look at a confidential center that provides emergency services for human trafficking survivors. The facility offers clothing, counseling and other resources to victims rescued from trafficking situations.
“We get a hotline call, we go out to the street, rescue a young girl,” Fernandez Rundle said. “She comes here, she decompresses… we’re trying to get her back on track.”
The six men arrested on Wednesday were ordered held without bond pending trial.
Anyone with information about suspected human trafficking is encouraged to contact the Miami-Dade Human Trafficking Hotline at 305-349-7867.
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