Officers have handcuffed 14 people who were allegedly overseeing a human trafficking operation at Comic-Con in San Diego, saving 10 victims, including a 16-year-old girl.
The three-day operation took place over the weekend, with agents from the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force operating undercover as sex buyers to catch the traffickers.
“Unfortunately, sex traffickers take advantage of large-scale events like Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “These arrests send a clear message to potential perpetrators that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated.
“We are proud that our office is committed to helping vulnerable Californians by providing them with help and guidance when they need it most.”
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Officers have handcuffed 14 people they say were overseeing a human trafficking operation at Comic-Con in San Diego. Officers stand outside the San Diego Convention Center on the first day of the event, July 24.
The arrests and rescues were conducted Thursday through Saturday by a multi-agency task force of federal and state agents, the attorney general’s office said.
Despite the scale of the operation, conference organizers said they were unaware of the three-day operation.
“We obviously find this deeply troubling and while we were not notified of this operation, it is our understanding that the arrests were made outside of the event,” San Diego Comic Con said in a statement to IGN.
“We work closely with various law enforcement agencies throughout the year and stand ready to assist in any way we can.”
The popular comic book and pop culture event takes place on Sunday at the San Diego Convention Center and draws more than 100,000 people each summer.
This year was no different, with recent releases of films like Deadpool and Wolverine generating excitement among attendees.
As crowds flocked to certain exhibits, agents and task force members went undercover as sex buyers to identify and arrest the traffickers.
According to prosecutors, they were also able to find the potential victims.
According to officials, the raid took place last weekend, during which 10 victims were rescued, including a 16-year-old girl
The arrests and rescues were made Thursday through Saturday, the attorney general’s office said, by a multi-agency task force of federal and state agents. Undercovers also used online ads to catch the creeps, which proved successful
“Unfortunately, sex traffickers take advantage of large-scale events like Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”
Undercover agents also used online advertisements to catch criminals, and this proved successful.
“If people use these events as an opportunity to abuse minors, [Homeland Security Investigations] “HSI and our law enforcement partners will find you and bring you to justice to ensure you face criminal charges,” HSI San Diego Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher Davis said in a separate statement.
“There is no place for alleged predators in our city.”
No suspects or victims were named Thursday. Officials are investigating the case.