MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Two teenage girls were recently rescued in South Florida following two human trafficking arrests, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office announced Friday in a news release.
"Human sex trafficking is an absolutely horrendous crime, and it's happening here in South Florida," Miami Beach Police Chief Daniel Oates said in a statement. "The State Attorney's task force is committed to fighting this terrible evil. Thank God that in these cases, we were able to rescue these two young girls and arrest these pimps."
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Jamaal Denmon, 36, of Texas, was the latest suspect to be arrested Jan. 19 after authorities uncovered the sex trafficking of a 15-year-old girl from Louisiana.
Denmon has been charged with human trafficking of a victim under 18 and human trafficking of a victim under 18 for commercial sexual activity.
According to the news release, police found the girl trying to purchase drugs on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach.
Prosecutors said the teen told police her pimp, known as "Koach" used violence against her to get her to perform acts of prostitution and to solicit and then drug tourists in order to rob them.
Authorities said the investigation led officers to a home in Hallandale Beach, where the teen was living and where additional evidence was found.
Prosecutors said a second teenage girl was rescued in Miami Beach after undercover detectives saw the 14-year-old and a 20-year-old woman soliciting men on the street.
According to the news release, the teen exposed herself multiple times in an effort to get men's attention.
Prosecutors said an undercover detective then saw the older woman being directed by her pimp, later identified as Terrance Jones, 39, to sell the cocaine she had in her possession, which she solicited to the detective.
After taking the two females into custody, authorities discovered that the teen had been reported missing from Arcadia.
The woman was charged with the sale of cocaine. Jones was arrested Nov. 28 and charged with human trafficking of a victim under 18, custodial interference and domestic battery by strangulation.
"These two cases of human trafficking represent some of the worst fears any parent may have for the safety and security of their teenage children," State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said in a statement. "Restoring these lost girls to their families while getting their predatory bosses off the streets is what the Human Trafficking Task Force is really all about. I congratulate these Miami Beach Police officers for their fine work and want to thank Miami Beach Police Chief Daniel Oates for his commitment to ending human trafficking in this community."
Denmon remains in custody at the Metro West Detention Center.