Undercover police officers arrested 14 people at last weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con, in a sting operation designed to catch human traffickers.
Authorities described the suspects as “sex buyers” who they caught using ads they created. The police said they recovered 10 victims of suspected sex trafficking. One was only 16 years old.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta had this to say about the sting operation, in a statement:
Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large-scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit. These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated. We are grateful to all our dedicated partners involved in the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, whose collaboration has been invaluable. We take great pride in our office’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable Californians by offering them assistance and guidance when they need it most.
You can watch a news report about the arrests from CBS 8 San Diego below.
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“There is no more insidious crime than human trafficking. The coercion and violence which enslaves people for profit and places them into forced labor or sex is criminal. As a Sheriff I support the efforts of all our justice partners in holding perpetrators accountable. I appreciate the focus that was placed on the recent convention to identify and rescue victims of human trafficking,” said San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez.
San Diego Comic-Con, held at the end of July every single year since 1970, attracts over 100,000 guests to the city every single year.
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