14 arrested at Comic-Con in anti-human trafficking sting in San Diego
Fourteen people were arrested and 10 victims of sex trafficking were rescued — including a 16-year-old girl — in a sting operation at the Comic-Con International convention in San Diego, California, last week, officials said Thursday.
Fourteen people were arrested and 10 victims of sex trafficking were rescued — including a 16-year-old girl — in a sting operation at the Comic-Con International convention in San Diego, California, last week, officials said Thursday.
The convention dedicated to comic books and pop culture is annually held in San Diego and has attracted crowds of over 130,000 in recent years.
This year, the California Department of Justice's San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force launched an undercover operation to target sex trafficking at the convention that unfolded from July 25 to 27.
Comic-Con International in San Diego, Calif., on July 28, 2024.Daniel Knighton / Getty ImagesLaw enforcement personnel worked undercover posing as sex buyers in a bid to identify and contact potential trafficking victims, and posted undercover advertisements soliciting sex to hone in on sex buyers, prosecutors said in a news release.
In the three-day sting, 14 sex buyers were arrested, and face solicitation charges. Nine adult potential victims of sex trafficking were recovered, and a 16-year-old juvenile was also recovered.
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