SAN DIEGO (CNS) — An anti-human trafficking sting held during this year's San Diego Comic-Con International weekend resulted in 13 arrests of people seeking to purchase sex, the California Attorney General's Office said today.
From July 24 to 26, the operation was conducted by law enforcement officers working undercover "to initiate contact with sex buyers throughout San Diego County." The 13 people were arrested on suspicion of solicitation.
The operation is conducted annually during Comic-Con weekend, which resulted last year in 14 alleged sex buyer arrests and the recovery of 10 potential sex trafficking victims.
The California AG's office said that though commercial sex isn't
always linked to human trafficking, the demand for commercial sex can spur
traffickers to exploit and coerce victims into sex work. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement, "Solicitation is a crime, and these arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that we stand ready to hold them accountable."
The operation was conducted by the multi-agency San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, composed of federal and state law enforcement agencies and prosecutorial offices.
