Human trafficking busts net many arrests, but convictions prove to be more challenging

Ten days out from the Super Bowl, Tampa Bay law enforcement agencies are preparing to police the shadows — crime hidden from the glow of the game day lights. Their goal: preventing the expected influx of human trafficking, women and children sold for sex.

Recent human trafficking busts have targeted the buyers, the “Johns.”

But the ABC Action News I-Team found court records show few arrests on charges of human trafficking and only one conviction in Hillsborough County in the last four years.

Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren said after the arrest, the challenges of building a human sex trafficking case grow.

The Florida Legislature defines human trafficking as a form of modern-day slavery, saying “victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation.”

“The difficulty in the convictions and in actually charging these cases, is because of the evidence required to prove someone was actually forced or trapped into this life,” Warren said.

There is also a heavy reliance on human trafficking survivors enduring what can be a grueling trial and being willing to testify against his or her trafficker.

“We have unfortunately had some cases where we did not have a victim to go forward,” Jennifer Johnson, chief of the Special Victims Unit for the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s Office said. “To come back to court and reopen those wounds can be very traumatic.”

Johnson said there is often a strong bond between a victim and his or her trafficker.

“These traffickers know how to become very close and to make their victims rely on them,” Johnson said. “So breaking that bond can become very, very difficult.”

That reliance could be for housing, food, and/or drugs. Some victims may have children by their trafficker, making it even harder for them to break loose.

If you believe you are a victim of Human Trafficking or suspect an adult is a victim of human trafficking, please visit the National Human Trafficking Hotline, or call them at 1-888-3737-888. If you suspect a child is a victim, please call the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE.