Press Releases

Human trafficking
May 23, 2009

Human beings are being bought and sold – and it’s an industry that’s quickly become big business. Now, detectives are stepping up their efforts to try to identify human trafficking victims – and they need your help.

It’s an illegal business second only in profitability to the drug trafficking industry – and it’s happening right here in Southwest Florida. The suspects are brokers who deal in the sale of human beings – trapping women and children into lives of prostitution, physical and mental abuse.

“In terms of viciousness of a crime, it’s horrible. I can’t believe that we, as a society, have actually created a market to traffic humans in exchange for money," said Detective Mike Zaleski of the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

Law enforcement and other non-governmental agencies are stepping up their efforts to define the magnitude of the problem locally – and to identify and rescue those trapped in lives that could best be defined as modern day slavery.

Coyotes, or recruiters, prey on vulnerable victims – using threats and intimidation, or even promises of a better life, to bring them into the United States. Here, they become slaves, kept away from society and forced to serve as prostitutes and unpaid laborers. They’re bought and sold as mere commodities – stripped of their core human dignity.

Investigators have documented more than 100 cases of human trafficking locally over the last few years. While most involve victims brought in from other countries, domestic trafficking is also an issue. Just a few weeks ago, two Southwest Florida teens fell prey to the entrapments of traffickers.

“They were transported across the state, specifically for the purpose of prostitution – and they were trafficking victims," said Zaleski.

And just to our north, in Pinellas County, several victims were rescued from the hands of brutal traffickers.

“They were made to be addicted to drugs – they were physically abused, caged, and there were not allowed to leave a residence unless for the purposes of stripping in a nightclub or for purposes of prostitution," Zaleski said.

Detectives have embarked on several new efforts to identify trafficking victims – through tools such as Craigslist and other internet sites. And they’re asking for the public’s help spotting potential victims – both online and in our community. They say that one anonymous of something suspicious could make all the difference in saving someone’s life.

Anyone with information on suspected human trafficking victims or related activities is asked to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). All callers will remain anonymous and will be eligible for up to $1,000 in cash rewards. Tips may also be made online at www.swflcrimestoppers.org.