Sex-Trafficking Arrests At San Diego Comic-Con
Image Source: 10News.com
At the San Diego Comic-Con, police arrested fourteen sex traffickers and rescued ten of their victims. California sent a San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force to conduct a sting inside the con by pretending to be sex buyers and posting undercover ads to entice and arrest sex buyers. Nine of the victims were adults while the final victim was a 16-year-old juvenile. Support service advocates for adult and child victims were on site to offer support. Unfortunately, the large size of the convention makes it easier for the traffickers to commit their crimes. California Attorney General Rob Bonta explained, “Sex traffickers capitalize on large-scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit. These arrests send a clear message to 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. We take great pride in our office’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable Californians by offering them assistance and guidance when they need it most.”
San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez expressed gratitude for the teams accomplishing their mission. 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. 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.”
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Image Source: 10News.com
The sting operation was a coordinated effort by the Department of Justice, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and many of California’s police forces. HSI Special agent Christopher Davis stressed the importance of supporting the city, San Diego proudly hosts special events like Comic-Con – highly attended events like these allow us to showcase our growing and beautiful city.’ He continued, “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.”
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Source(s): Variety, The Hollywood Reporter
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