A human trafficking sting operation was carried out at San Diego Comic-Con by California police, who arrested over a dozen suspects. Ten possible victims were also saved.
It was the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force (SDHTTF) that carried out the operation, which the California Department of Justice said in a press release on Tuesday, July 30. The operation was “aimed at recovering victims of sex trafficking and targeting sex buyers using the San Diego Comic-Con Convention to seek out potential victims.”
The report says that between July 25 and July 27, police arrested 14 people and “recovered” 10 possible victims. Nine of the 10 people saved are adults and one is 16 years old. Child Welfare Services and other similar groups were there to offer help.
In the release, Attorney General Rob Bonta said that sex traffickers often “take advantage of big events like Comic-Con to make money off of their victims.”
Every year, about 100,000 comic book and pop culture fans go to San Diego for the event.
According to Bonta, these charges make it clear to people who might break the law that their bad behavior will not be accepted. We are thankful for all of our hardworking friends on the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force. Their help has been very helpful. We are very proud of how dedicated our office is to helping needy Californians get better by giving them support and help when they need it the most.
During the fake operation, police pretended to be sex buyers to find potential victims and the people who were trafficking them. To find people who want to have sex, undercover ads “soliciting sex” were also put up.
“No crime is more sneaky than trafficking people,” said San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez in the release. People who are made to work or have sex for money or because of threats of violence are being held captive, which is illegal. As sheriff, I back up the work of all of our law enforcement partners to hold criminals responsible. I like how much attention was paid to the recent convention to find and help victims of human trafficking.
People got a hold of a statement from San Diego Comic-Con organizers on July 31 that said, “Obviously, we find this very disturbing. While we were not made aware of this operation, it is our understanding that the arrests were made outside of the event.” Throughout the year, we work closely with many different types of law officers and are always ready to help in any way we can.
If you or someone you know has been sexually abused, call the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 and text “STRENGTH” to get in touch with a trained crisis counselor.
