Cops have cuffed 14 people who allegedly oversaw a human trafficking operation at Comic-Con in San Diego – saving 10 victims, including a 16-year-old girl.
The three-day sting took place over the weekend with officers from San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force acting undercover as sex buyers in order to bust the traffickers.
‘Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large-scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,’ AG Rob Bonta said. ‘These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated.
‘We take great pride in our office’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable Californians by offering them assistance and guidance when they need it most.’
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Cops have cuffed 14 people they say oversaw a human trafficking operation at Comic-Con in San Diego, Police officers stand outside the San Diego Convention Center on the first day of the event, July 24
The arrests and rescues were made from Thursday through Saturday, the AG’s office said, by a multi-agency task force comprised of federal and state agents.
Despite the extent of such an operation, convention operators suggested they were not aware of the three-day sting.
‘Obviously we find this very disturbing and, while we were not made aware of this operation, it is our understanding that the arrests were made outside of the event,’ the San Diego Comic Con said in a statement to IGN.
‘We work closely with a variety of law enforcement entities throughout the year and stand ready to assist in any way we can.’
Having concluded Sunday, the popular comic book and pop culture event takes place at the San Diego Convention Center every summer, drawing over 100,000 people.
This year was no different, with the recent releases of films like Deadpool and Wolverine igniting fervor amongst visitors.
As the flocked to certain exhibits, officers and agents part of the task force went undercover as sex buyers to identify and arrest the traffickers.
They were also able to find the potential victims, the attorney general’s officers said.
The bust occurred over the weekend, officials said – and saw 10 victims saved including a 16-year-old girl
The arrests and rescues were made from Thursday through Saturday, the AG’s office said, by a multi-agency task force comprised of federal and state agents. Undercovers also used online ads to catch the creeps, proving successful
‘Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large-scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,’ AG Rob Bonta said. ‘These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated’
Undercovers also used online ads to catch the creeps, proving successful.
‘When people use these events as an opportunity to prey upon minors, [Homeland Security Investigations] HSI and our law enforcement partners will find you and bring you before a court of law to face criminal charges,’ Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego, said in a separate statement.
‘There is no place for alleged predators to operate in our city.’
None of the suspects or victims, as of Thursday, were named. Officials are vetting the case.
