Local law enforcement officials have arrested 22 people during an undercover sting operation targeting adults who used the Internet to solicit sex with children.
The arrests were announced at a multi-agency press conference at the Pensacola Police Department Sept. 14. The individuals taken into custody were mostly from Pensacola, but the pool of suspects also included men from Alabama, Mississippi and a pastor from Pace.
The sting, dubbed "Operation Undertow," took place from Sept. 7 to 11. According to the PPD, undercover agents posed as teenagers on various websites and were contacted by suspects who agreed to meet the "teens" for sex. The suspects were arrested when they arrived at the arranged meeting location.
