FLORIDA — Attorney General Ashley Moody’s statewide prosecutors and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office have teamed up to shut down an alleged sex trafficking ring, arresting two suspects and rescuing eight women reportedly forced into sex trafficking, Moody’s office has announced.
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According to the announcement, Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution is charging two defendants with multiple counts of human trafficking. An investigation by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office reportedly revealed a human smuggling and trafficking operation running in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties by Amet Maqueira De La Cal and Rosalia Leonard Garcia.
Maqueira De La Cal allegedly smuggled eight women into the United States, forcing the victims into sex trafficking to repay a huge debt under threat of violence, Moody’s office said.
“I applaud the swift, courageous actions of Sheriff Chronister’s deputies and ensure my Statewide Prosecutors will hold the traffickers accountable in court for what they did to these eight women,” said Moody.
According to the investigation, Maqueira De La Cal smuggled each of the eight victims into the country. The investigation reportedly uncovered that Maqueira De La Cal, through threats of violence, then forced the women into sex trafficking and working in adult entertainment clubs to pay off the debts incurred through the transport into the U.S.
The traffickers allegedly told the victims they owed $60,000 each, withheld the women’s IDs and other documents, and forced the victims to live in close quarters under the traffickers’ control.
One of the alleged victims made a call to a human trafficking helpline, which notified authorities of the operation.
Maqueira De La Cal and Leonard Garcia are both charged with 47 counts each—including human trafficking charges.
The women rescued through this operation are receiving counseling and other resources.
Attorney General Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution will prosecute the case.
