Broward sting targets child predators, seven arrested in trafficking operation
Seven people were arrested after BSO posed as teens online and steered suspects to a Dania Beach hotel, rescuing 10 victims in the process.
Broward Sheriff’s Office arrested seven people in Operation Red Card after detectives posed as teenagers on websites and apps and drew suspects toward a Dania Beach hotel. Six of the suspects were from Broward County and one was from Palm Beach County, and investigators said the operation also rescued 10 victims.
The sting was built around online decoys, including one scenario in which investigators posed as an older cousin pimping a 15-year-old girl. In another, detectives used teen personas to communicate with men seeking sexual contact with minors, then directed them to the hotel in Dania Beach. The arrests underscored how quickly online grooming can turn into an attempt to arrange a real-world meeting in Broward.
The charges included human trafficking of a minor, traveling to meet a minor, solicitation of a minor, possession of MDMA and violation of probation. BSO has not said all of the suspects’ personal details, but the arrests were spread across the region and tied to a broader South Florida push to stop exploitation tied to the 2026 World Cup buildup.
BSO said one of the rescued victims was a teenage runaway from out of town who was reunited with her family. The agency said victims were connected to shelter, medical care and counseling, a reminder that these cases reach beyond arrests and into emergency protection for children and other vulnerable people pulled into trafficking networks.
The operation included BSO’s Division of Homeland Security and Cyber Crime and the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, along with the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Broward State Attorney’s Office, the Nancy J. Cotterman Center Human Trafficking Unit and local police departments in Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Lauderhill and Coconut Creek. BSO said investigators are still following leads and more arrests could follow.
The Broward case came as Florida officials have increased pressure on human trafficking and child exploitation cases ahead of World Cup matches across South Florida. A similar Miami-Dade undercover sting in June led to 12 arrests in a child sex trafficking operation tied to the same security push.
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