MIAMI (WSVN) - Four men are behind bars after an undercover sting operation targeting the sexual exploitation of children in Miami-Dade County, part of a coordinated law enforcement effort launched ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Melvin Phillip Putney, 47, Henry Eduardo Castillo Martinez, 20, John Alcin, 30, and Ibrahim Vazquez Cobas, 54, were each arrested Tuesday and charged with human trafficking of a minor for commercial sexual activity, traveling to meet a minor and prohibited computer use.
All four are being held without bond. Martinez and Alcin are also being held on Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers.
According to authorities, undercover detectives posted advertisements online and waited for responses. Each of the four men made contact online, negotiated a price and agreed to pay between $150 and $200 for sexual acts with individuals they believed to be minors between the ages of 14 and 15.
When they arrived at the undisclosed locations, officials say tactical teams were waiting behind closed doors. Detectives then confirmed each suspect’s identity by placing a test call to the phone number used in the communications and watched the phone in each man’s possession ring. They were then taken into custody.
The operation was carried out by a multi-agency task force that included the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force, the Miami Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children unit, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, among others.
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