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14 arrested in human trafficking sting at Comic-Con, officers worked undercover as sex buyers to rescue victims
The task force reportedly went undercover and posted advertisements soliciting sex to get to the suspects.
As many as 14 people were arrested as part of a human trafficking operation at Comic-Con in San Diego over the weekend, according to state officials. The task force reportedly went undercover and posted advertisements soliciting sex to get to the suspects. Some officers even worked undercover as sex buyers in an attempt to identify potential victims and contact them.
As part of the operation, authorities were able to successfully recover 10 sex trafficking victims, including a 16-year-old girl. The victims were given support services. According to a statement from California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office, the team was on the lookout for “sex buyers using the San Diego Comic-Con Convention to seek out potential victims,” Los Angeles Times reported.
The huge convention was targeted by state and local authorities who were working through the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force. Every year, more than 100,000 people come to San Diego to attend Comic-Con, which is a gathering of fans of comic books and pop culture.
"Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit," said Bonta, according to ABC7. “These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”
This year’s Comic-Con concluded Sunday, July 28. The event takes place every summer at the San Diego Convention Center.
"When people use these events as an opportunity to prey upon minors, (Homeland Security Investigations) HSI and our law enforcement partners will find you and bring you before a court of law to face criminal charges," Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego, said in a statement, according to USA Today. "There is no place for alleged predators to operate in our city."
‘There is no more insidious crime than human trafficking’
The investigation was conducted over a period of three days. Support services, child welfare services and juvenile support service advocates were present at the scene to help.
“There is no more insidious crime than human trafficking,” San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez said in a statement. “The coercion and violence which enslaves people for profit and places them into forced labor or sex is criminal.”
The event organisers stressed that they had no knowledge of the operation until after it was done. “Obviously we find this very disturbing,” Comic-Con International wrote in a statement. “While we were not made aware of this operation, it is our understanding that the arrests were made outside of the event.”
The organisers added that they work closely “with a variety of law enforcement entities throughout the year and stand ready to assist in any way we can.”
