An anti-human trafficking operation at San Diego Comic-Con led to 14 arrests and 10 victims recovered, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement to media Wednesday.
The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force conducted a sting Thursday through Saturday, Bonta said. The traffickers and buyers were using the massive comic and entertainment convention to target victims.
“Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,” Bonta said. “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.”
Members of the law enforcement task force posed undercover as sex buyers to locate and contact potential victims and arrest their traffickers. Other members posted undercover advertisements soliciting sex to arrest further buyers. Of the 10 victims saved, nine were adults and one was a 16-year-old juvenile.
“There is no more insidious crime than human trafficking,” San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez said. “The coercion and violence which enslaves people for profit and places them into forced labor or sex is criminal. As the 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.”
Comic-Con International is a major event for San Diego that pulls in more than 100,000 fans to the city for the long weekend each year. That makes it a major target for these traffickers.
“San Diego proudly hosts special events like Comic-Con – highly attended events like these allow us to showcase our growing and beautiful city,” Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego, said. “However, when people use these events as an opportunity to prey upon minors, HSI and our law enforcement partners will find you and bring you before a court of law to face criminal charges. There is no place for alleged predators to operate in our city and HSI is committed to helping the victims of these crimes.”
