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What were the details of the undercover operation in Florida that led to the arrests of 50 alleged child predators?
Executive summary
Florida law enforcement and federal partners have run multiple undercover online stings in 2025 that together resulted in dozens to hundreds of arrests: local operations in Marion, Martin, Okaloosa, Citrus and other counties produced arrest totals reported as 6, 14, 16, 48 and similar figures (central Florida’s multi‑agency sting yielded 48 arrests), while larger federal/state ICE operations across Florida arrested about 230 so‑called “criminal illegal aliens,” including roughly 150 the agencies described as sexual predators [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]. Coverage shows many separate stings with differing scopes and partners rather than one single operation that produced “50” arrests; available sources do not mention a single undercover operation that led exactly to 50 arrests.
1. Multiple stings, not one monolith
Reporting shows a string of separate undercover operations across Florida in 2025—some county‑led sting operations focused on online enticement and attempted meetings with minors (e.g., Operation All Tricks, No Treats in Martin County and Operation Seek and Yee Shall Find Out in Marion County), and larger federal‑state immigration enforcement sweeps [1] [2] [5] [6] [7]. These different efforts had different goals, agencies, and geographic footprints, which explains why various stories list arrest totals that range from single digits up to the 200s [1] [2] [5] [6] [7].
2. What the county undercover operations did and who took part
Local Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) units and sheriff’s offices described short undercover online operations where detectives posed as minors on social media and messaging platforms, arranged online sexual communications and sometimes planned physical meetings; those operations led to arrests on charges such as use of a computer to seduce, solicit or lure a child, travel to meet a child for sex, and related two‑way communication device offenses (examples: Martin County’s three‑day Operation All Tricks, No Treats arrested six; Marion County’s six‑day sting arrested 48) [1] [2] [5]. Agencies named as partners in these local stings include county sheriff’s offices, state law enforcement, municipal police departments, and federal partners for prosecution when appropriate [1] [2].
3. Large federal‑state sweep focused on criminal immigration cases
Separately, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described a 10‑day enforcement surge—referred to in some releases as Operation Dirtbag or Operation Criminal Return—that arrested roughly 230 people identified as criminal illegal aliens across Florida, and which DHS said included about 150 sexual predators; that operation emphasized removal/immigration consequences alongside criminal histories that federal and state agencies flagged as including sexual assault, lewd and lascivious conduct, child exploitation and violent offenses [6] [7] [8]. Those releases frame the operation as a federal‑state partnership using 287(g) agreements and other coordination with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement [6] [7].
4. Numbers and labels vary by source and mission
Local agencies typically present arrests and criminal charges related to online enticement and child exploitation cases, while federal DHS/ICE statements emphasize immigration status and removal; the two kinds of announcements therefore use different metrics—number arrested, charged, detained on ICE detainers, or identified as registered sex offenders—so simple comparisons or aggregations between them can be misleading [1] [2] [6] [7]. For example, a county press release highlights 48 arrests in a coordinated sting [2] [5] while an ICE release covers 230 arrests statewide in a separate enforcement action [7].
5. Platform use, prosecution and civil claims
Officials in at least one central Florida operation said suspects used social platforms such as Snapchat and various chat or gaming apps to target minors; that same Attorney General’s office later filed a civil lawsuit alleging Snapchat violated Florida law tied to children’s online protections [2] [9]. Local prosecutors and federal partners are handling charges ranging from state counts (solicitation, travel to meet a minor) to federal charges when cases involve child sexual abuse material [1] [10].
6. Limitations, transparency and unanswered questions
Available reporting does not identify a single undercover Florida operation that resulted in exactly 50 arrests; instead it documents many separate operations with different arrest totals and missions [1] [2] [4] [3] [6] [7]. Sources differ in emphasis—local law enforcement stresses child‑protection arrests and prosecutions, while DHS/ICE emphasizes immigration enforcement and removal—so readers should treat aggregated figures cautiously and check whether a cited total refers to a county sting, a multi‑county operation, or a statewide federal immigration sweep [1] [2] [6] [7].
If you want, I can compile a timeline mapping each named operation, the agencies involved, and the precise arrest numbers and charges reported in each press release or news story to make the distinctions clearer.