Anti-sex trafficking sting at Comic-Con yields 14 arrests

SAN DIEGO – An anti-human trafficking sting at last weekend’s San Diego Comic-Con International resulted in 14 arrests of people seeking to purchase sex and the recovery of 10 potential sex trafficking victims, authorities announced Wednesday.

The operation involved law enforcement officers working undercover as sex buyers in order to identify traffickers and victims, as well as the posting of fake advertisements soliciting sex.

From Thursday through Saturday, 14 alleged sex buyers were arrested and 10 victims recovered, including one who was 16 years old, according to the California Attorney General’s Office, which said support services were provided
for the victims.

“Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,”said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated.

Bonta thanked their partners in the multi-agency San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, composed of federal and state law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial offices.

“We take great pride in our office’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable Californians by offering them assistance and guidance when they need it most,” he said.

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said the San Diego Police Department is a proud member of the task force and “working together, teams identified and arrested more than a dozen individuals participating in these illegal acts in our City over the weekend.”

“These results show our collective dedication to combatting human trafficking and holding criminals accountable are working,” he said.

San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez said there is no more insidious crime than human trafficking. “The coercion and violence which enslaves people for profit and places them into forced labor or sex is criminal,” he said.

“Human trafficking is a grave violation of human rights and a crime that requires a concerted and unified response,”said Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Carter, NCIS Southwest Field Office. “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.”

Comic-Con International is a comic book and pop culture event drawing over 100,000 fans to San Diego each year. (With CNS report)

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