Authorities arrested 14 people and rescued 10 victims in a massive human trafficking sting at the San Diego Comic-Con Convention, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Tuesday.
The operation took place Thursday through Saturday at the wildly popular and star-studded convention in downtown San Diego and involved local and state task force officers, Bonta’s office said.
Law enforcement personnel posed as sex buyers to identify and contact potential trafficking victims and arrest their traffickers, according to the attorney general’s office. They also posted undercover ads soliciting sex.
“Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large-scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,” Bonta said in a statement. “These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”
Authorities arrested 14 alleged sex buyers and recovered 10 potential victims, including a 16-year-old, the attorney general’s office said. Child Welfare Services and other service advocates were present to provide support to the victims.
“There is no more insidious crime than human trafficking,” said San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez. “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.”
The Comic-Con International convention draws over 130,000 fans annually.