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An undercover human trafficking sting at San Diego pop culture event Comic-Con International led to 14 arrests and the rescue of 10 victims.
In a statement released on Wednesday, July 31, the California Department of Justice revealed that the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force had conducted a human trafficking sting “aimed at recovering victims of sex trafficking and targeting sex buyers using the San Diego Comic-Con Convention to seek out potential victims.”
California Attorney General Rob Bonta explained: “Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit.
“These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated. We are grateful to all our dedicated partners involved in the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, whose collaboration has been invaluable.
“We take great pride in our office’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable Californians by offering them assistance and guidance when they need it most.”
Comic-Con attracts more than 100,000 people to San Diego each year, and this weekend’s event generated several high-profile pop culture news stories including Keanu Reeves previewing John Wick 4 and Marvel’s unveiling of Robert Downey Jr as supervillain Doctor Doom.
The California Department of Justice was also in attendance, with law enforcement officials going undercover as “sex buyers” to root out suspects and potential victims.
Support services were offered to the victims who were rescued during the three-day operation. CBS reports that at least one victim, a 16-year-old, was provided with child welfare services.
“There is no more insidious crime than human trafficking,” said San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez in the same statement.
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“The coercion and violence which enslaves people for profit and places them into forced labor or sex is criminal,” she continued. “I appreciate the focus that was placed on the recent convention to identify and rescue victims of human trafficking.”
Acting special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, Christopher Davis, added that major events such as Comic-Con are targeted by criminals as an opportunity to exploit attendees.
“When people use these events as an opportunity to prey upon minors, HSI and our law enforcement partners will find you and bring you before a court of law to face criminal charges,” said Davis.
“There is no place for alleged predators to operate in our city and HSI is committed to helping the victims of these crimes.”
