OAN Staff Abril Elfi
5:17 PM – Wednesday, July 31, 2024
The authorities have reportedly arrested 14 people and rescued 10 victims following a human trafficking sting at the annual San Diego Comic-Con Convention.
On Tuesday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that the operation took place from Thursday to Saturday, and it involved both local police and state task force officers.
Bonta’s office said that law enforcement personnel had posed as sex work clients in order to identify and contact potential trafficking victims and arrest their traffickers. He also said that they posted undercover ads soliciting sex as an additional ploy.
“Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large-scale events, such as Comic-Con, to exploit their victims for profit,” Bonta said in a statement. “These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”
14 sex traffickers were arrested and 10 victims were recovered, Bonta added.
Child Welfare Services and other service advocates were also present in the sting and working alongside the authorities to provide support to the victims.
“There is no more insidious crime than human trafficking,” said San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez. “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.”
Stay informed! Receive breaking news blasts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
