LAKE COUNTY, Ill. (CBS 58) -- A Kenosha man was among seven men arrested by the Lake County Illinois Sheriff's Office.

According to a release, the Lake County Sheriff's Gang Task Force went undercover, arresting seven men in a continued campaign to suppress the demand for purchased sex. 

The Lake County Sheriff’s Gang Task Force joined a coalition of federal and local law enforcement agencies in a nationwide operation which specifically targeted customers of prostitutes known as “Johns.”

The Sheriff's Office said that this was a web-based operation that utilized a classified advertising website, regularly used as a medium for prostitution. When the “Johns” arrived and offered money to the undercover detectives for sexual acts, they were arrested and transported to the Lake County Jail.

Sheriff Mark Curran said, “Investigating human trafficking is one of the top priorities of the Lake County Sheriff’s Gang Task Force. Prostitution often involves human trafficking and juvenile sex trafficking, which is exactly why we conduct these investigations.”

Those arrested in the sting in Waukegan were:

Evelio Marquez, 55, of the 1000 block of 67th Street, Kenosha
Jeremy P. Hoen, 29, of the 2900 block of Dominion Lane, Lakemoor
Luis Lopez-Arellano, 32, of the 42300 block of Delany Road, Zion
Raymond Berger, 33, of the 21500 block of West Nielson Drive, Lake Villa
Luis E. Cardenas, 48, of the 2600 block of Peppertree Lane, Waukegan
Dionicio S. Pott, 37, of the 400 block of Hull Court, Waukegan
Elmer E. Rosales, 54, of the 700 block of Center Street, Waukegan

The suspects are due in court on March 12.