SWFL.io - Local NewsA two-year investigation called "Operation Red Light" has revealed sex trafficking operations in homes and strip malls across Lee County, Florida, with law enforcement and survivors working to address the issue.
Alina Donahue, a trafficking survivor, shared her story of being manipulated and exploited.
"I was raised Catholic, conservative in a two-parent home," Donahue said. "Being naive, being gullible, wanting to be loved, which is the biggest vulnerability for victims of trafficking."
She explained how her boyfriend convinced her to apply for a modeling job, which led to her being raped during the interview.
"The man who went to do the interview raped me and then said, 'You are going to work for me. If you tell the police, I will kill you and your family,'" Donahue said.
Her boyfriend, whom she initially trusted, began selling her for sex.
"The guy who raped me trafficked me locally in Naples and Fort Myers for two weeks, and then my boyfriend took over and became my main trafficker for eight months," she said.
Donahue described meeting men at homes and businesses from Port Royal in Naples to Port Charlotte. Her ordeal ended when she was arrested.
"So what I saw as a horrible day of going to jail really was my saving grace," she said.
Now, Donahue works for Operation Lightshine to protect children from human trafficking. She emphasized that victims often hide in plain sight.
"I think traffickers have figured out there is wealth in Southwest Florida, and that's how they make money, selling women and girls," she said.
The Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples assists trafficking victims like Donahue, but the scope of the problem is vast. Executive Director Linda Oberhaus highlighted the prevalence of online ads offering sex.
"We looked at the number of girls that were put up for sale on the website right here in Naples and in Fort Myers, and there were literally ten full pages of girls put on this website just today for sale," Oberhaus said.
Lt. Wade Williams, of the Collier County Sheriff's Office, leads the Intercept Task Force, which includes 14 law enforcement agencies from Naples to Cape Coral. He noted a staggering increase in child exploitation cases.
"Child exploitation specifically, we've seen a 2,309% increase between 2015 and 2024," Williams said.
The task force's first major bust involved Jeremy Mannerberg, a 27-year-old Naples man accused of offering a two-year-old child for sexual purposes on a dating platform.
"A two-year-old child who was offered by an individual who had access to this child on a dating platform to a suspect in Orlando for sexual purposes," Williams said.
Williams explained that traffickers often use escort sites like Alligator Escort, Skip the Games, Mega Personals, and CityXGuide to facilitate their operations.
"The vast majority is facilitation online through escort sites," he said.
He added that traffickers even adjust their pricing based on peak times.
"You know their busiest times are going to be either lunchtime or 5 p.m. or in the morning, and that's really because most of these guys either have significant others, wives, or girlfriends," Williams said.
The task force has focused on dismantling organized sex trafficking rings, including brothels operating in strip malls from Naples to Fort Myers and Cape Coral.
"It's an easy place for them to go to a plaza. They can say they got their haircut or they went to the cell phone stores, and they are there an extra 30 minutes or so, and none the wiser, and then they can go home," Williams said.
Last year, the task force shut down 17 sex trafficking businesses operating in Naples. A major bust last month led to the arrest of 10 people for running brothels.
Donahue has assisted law enforcement in identifying victims.
"We have to remove that from our minds, that a victim has to look a certain way or a trafficker has to look a certain way. My trafficker was very good at blending in," she said.
Williams, a father of five, expressed his concerns about the dangers of the internet.
"I worry about this because I see what goes on, and I'm very protective of my children and their social media. You know, the internet is like a dumpster fire. It is like the wild west right now," he said.
The investigation highlights the importance of vigilance, especially when children are at home with access to phones or computers.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment, and original programming on your TV.