
In a concerted effort to combat human trafficking, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force (SDHTTF), announced the results of a targeted operation at the San Diego Comic-Con.
The sting, conducted from July 25 to 27, 2024, aimed to recover victims of sex trafficking and apprehend sex buyers exploiting the event, resulting in 14 arrests and the recovery of 10 victims who were offered services.
The anti-human trafficking operation targeted sex buyers and focused on recovering potential victims of sex trafficking and arresting traffickers. Undercover law enforcement personnel posed as sex buyers and posted undercover advertisements soliciting sex to arrest traffickers and sex buyers. The three-day operation led to 14 arrests, including nine adult potential victims of sex trafficking and one 16-year-old juvenile.
“Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large-scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,” said Attorney General Bonta. “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.”
San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez emphasized the gravity of human trafficking, stating, “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.”
San Diego Police Chief Wahl highlighted the successful operation: “Working together, teams identified and arrested more than a dozen individuals participating in these illegal acts in our city over the weekend. This successful operation recovered 10 victims of human trafficking, including a girl of just 16 years old. These results show our collective dedication to combatting human trafficking and holding criminals accountable is working.”
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Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego, reinforced the commitment to protecting the city, stating, “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.”
Nicholas Carter, Special Agent in Charge of NCIS Southwest Field Office, added, “Human trafficking is a grave violation of human rights and a crime that requires a concerted and unified response. Our participation in this joint task force underscores NCIS’s unwavering commitment to our service members, their families, and the broader community from exploitation and abuse.”
The SDHTTF is a cooperative effort involving multiple agencies, including the DOJ, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, National City Police Department, San Diego City Attorney’s Office, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County Probation Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police Department, Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service also assisted in the operation.
For other 2024 news from San Diego Comic-Con, click here.
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