Comic-Con human trafficking sting: 14 ‘sex buyers’ arrested, 10 victims rescued

A monolithic cognition to rescue victims of quality trafficking and apprehension offenders was carried retired complete nan play astatine San Diego’s Comic-Con, resulting successful nan arrests of 14 “sex buyers” and nan betterment of 10 victims, including a 16-year-old girl.

The investigation was led by nan San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, which specifically utilized Comic-Con arsenic a backdrop for its sting operation. The world-famous normal doesn’t conscionable pull comic book fans, but criminals too, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

“Unfortunately, activity traffickers capitalize connected large-scale events specified arsenic Comic-Con to utilization their victims for profit,” Bonta said. “These arrests nonstop a clear connection to imaginable offenders that their criminal behaviour will not beryllium tolerated.”

Law enforcement workers went undercover arsenic imaginable customers to find victims of trafficking and apprehension their traffickers. At nan extremity of nan three-day operation, authorities rescued 9 big victims of activity trafficking and 1 16-year-old minor.

“Child Welfare Services and big and juvenile support work advocates were connected segment to supply support arsenic needed,” according to a news release.

The cognition besides progressive posting “undercover advertisements soliciting activity to apprehension activity buyers.” Fourteen group were arrested connected inducement charges.

“There is nary much insidious crime than quality trafficking,” San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez said, condemning nan “coercion and unit which enslaves group for profit and places them into forced labor.”

“I admit nan attraction that was placed connected nan caller normal to place and rescue victims of quality trafficking.”

The acting typical supplier successful complaint of Homeland Security (HSI) for San Diego besides praised rule enforcement for utilizing nan 2024 Comic-Con arsenic a measurement to guidelines retired quality trafficking.

“San Diego proudly hosts typical events for illustration Comic-Con — highly attended events for illustration these let america to showcase our increasing and beautiful city,” Christopher Davis said. “However, erstwhile group usage these events arsenic an opportunity to prey upon minors, HSI and our rule enforcement partners will find you and bring you earlier a tribunal of rule to look criminal charges. There is nary spot for alleged predators to run successful our metropolis and HSI is committed to helping nan victims of these crimes.”

San Diego constabulary Chief Scott Wahl lauded nan sting cognition for rescuing 10 victims of quality trafficking, “including a woman of conscionable 16 years old.”

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“These results show our corporate dedication to combatting quality trafficking and holding criminals accountable are working.”

The San Diego Comic Convention told NBC San Diego that it was not alert of nan sting, but that nan results of nan cognition were “very disturbing.”

“It is our knowing that nan arrests were made extracurricular of nan event. We activity intimately pinch a assortment of rule enforcement entities passim nan twelvemonth and guidelines fresh to assistance successful immoderate measurement we can,” nan normal said.

The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is simply a co-operative effort involving aggregate agencies, including nan California Department of Justice, nan Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, California Highway Patrol and respective section rule enforcement departments.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) besides assisted successful nan operation.