An anti-human trafficking operation during San Diego Comic-Con resulted in the arrest of 14 individuals.
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From July 25 to July 27, the San Diego Human Trafficking Force conducted a sting operation targeting sex traffickers and buyers exploiting the Comic-Con event to find potential victims. The operation resulted in the rescue of ten victims, who were offered support services, as reported by Variety. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement Wednesday that sex traffickers use massive events to target potential victims and exploit them for profit. “These arrests clearly message 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,” he explained.
Officers posed as sex buyers and posted undercover ads soliciting sex to catch traffickers and sex buyers. At the end of the sting operations, nine adult victims and one 16-year-old victim were rescued. San Diego Chief Wahl acknowledged the operation’s success and said the teams’ efforts helped arrest more than a dozen individuals who participated in the illegal acts over the weekend.
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“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 combating human trafficking and holding criminals accountable are working.”
Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego, noted the importance of protecting vulnerable individuals such as minors during major events.
“However, 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.”
News of the sting operation sparked reactions from social media users who saw Comic-Con as a safe space for individuals to enjoy their interests in multiple media.