SAN DIEGO (CNS) - An anti-child exploitation sting recently conducted in San Diego County resulted in 15 arrests, including a dozen for people allegedly seeking to meet up with minors for sex.
Operation Chatter Box, conducted Aug. 17-25 by the California Department of Justice's San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations' Child Exploitation Group, involved undercover officers posing as minors online and communicating with suspects who sought sexual interactions with children.
Agents pretended to be juveniles between the ages of 10 and 16, then arranged meetings with suspects, including some who agreed to pay for sex with minors, the California Attorney General's Office said.
Those who arrived at the arranged meet-up location were then arrested on suspicion of arranging to meet a minor for the purpose of engaging in lewd or lascivious conduct.
Another portion of Operation Chatter Box involved parole compliance checks of sex offenders.
Three people were arrested for allegedly being out of compliance with their parole conditions, including one person who was possessing and viewing suspected child sexual abuse material at the time of the arrest, according to the California Attorney General's Office.
"The internet should never be a hunting ground for those who seek to exploit children," California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. "Operation Chatter Box sends an unmistakable message: If you go online looking to harm a child, law enforcement will be there waiting."
Copyright 2026, City News Service, Inc.
