Ten potential victims, including a year-old girl, was also recovered, authorities said. Over a dozen suspects were arrested after California authorities executed a human trafficking sting operation at San Diego Comic-Con. Ten potential victims were also rescued. Authorities arrested 14 people and "recovered" 10 potential victims between July 25 and July 27, the release states.
Of the 10 rescued, nine are adults and one is Child Welfare Services and related agencies were on site to provide resources.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said in the release that sex traffickers tend to "capitalize on large scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit. About , fans travel to San Diego for the comic book and pop culture event each year. 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.
Throughout the sting operation, law enforcement agents went undercover as sex buyers to find possible victims and their traffickers. Undercover ads "soliciting sex" were also posted to target sex buyers. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? 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. We work closely with a variety of law enforcement entities throughout the year and stand ready to assist in any way we can.
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