Detectives with the Lakeland Police Department arrested a 48-year-old Tampa man this week after, investigators say, he showed up to what he believed was a meeting to pay for sex with a 14-year-old. He arrived on Wednesday at the agreed pickup spot and was taken into custody without incident. Officers later reported finding cash, suspected methamphetamine and a black suitcase that held sexual paraphernalia along with a large hatchet.
Undercover messages led detectives to the pickup
According to the Tampa Free Press, the suspect, identified as Fozi Nagi Al-Zokari, began messaging what he believed was a parent offering access to a 14-year-old on July 14 and agreed to pay $200. The outlet reports that Al-Zokari kept communicating with an undercover Lakeland detective for several days before finally showing up at the meeting spot.
Once he arrived, officers searched his vehicle and found about $300 in cash, two unopened packs of condoms, plastic baggies containing methamphetamine and the black suitcase, according to the report. He was then booked into the Polk County jail on multiple felony counts.
Polk County sting operations are common
Undercover reverse-sting tactics, in which officers pose as minors or as guardians, are regularly used across Polk County to catch people who attempt to solicit sex from children. Local10 reported on an April detail that led to 19 arrests, and FOX 13 has covered larger multi-agency operations in prior years. Prosecutors and victim-services groups say those efforts are designed both to pull suspected predators off the street and to identify any potential trafficking victims caught up in the operations.
What the charges mean
Authorities say the man faces a human-trafficking count along with several computer-solicitation and drug charges. Under Florida law, the commercial sexual exploitation of minors is treated as a severe felony offense. For the statutory language and potential penalties, see Fla. Stat. §787.06 and the computer-pornography and traveling-to-meet-a-minor statute at Fla. Stat. §847.0135.
Victims or anyone with tips about human trafficking can contact the Florida Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-855-FLA-SAFE, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
