The Village of Virginia Gardens commended Chief Ray Hernandez and the Virginia Gardens Police Department for working alongside the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, the Florida Attorney General’s Office, and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to combat human trafficking during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
During the tournament, the State Attorney’s Human Trafficking Task Force carried out 28 undercover operations across Miami-Dade County and South Florida. The operations led to rescues, arrests, and the disruption of trafficking networks targeting vulnerable individuals during the influx of World Cup visitors.
State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said the results came through close coordination among the Human Trafficking Task Force, the Florida Attorney General’s Office, law enforcement agencies throughout Miami-Dade, and federal partners.
Although the World Cup has ended, Virginia Gardens and its law enforcement partners said they will continue working to protect the community, support survivors, and hold traffickers accountable.
