HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister has announced the results of an extensive undercover operation targeting the sexual exploitation of children, resulting in the arrests of 171 individuals.

The sting, which ran from July through Halloween, also led to the successful rescue of a 17-year-old girl from human traffickers.

Sheriff Chronister stated that the collective effort was focused on “individuals who wanted to exploit a child in this community for sex.” He confirmed that the primary goal for every one of the 171 individuals arrested was “to pay to have sex with a child.”

The operation leveraged the HCSO’s Internet Predator Unit, Sexual Predator Unit, and the Human Trafficking Squad.

Teacher Among Those Arrested

One of the most alarming arrests wa

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