Sex sting at San Diego Comic-Con: 14 buyers, traffickers arrested, 16-year-old girl among victims
A file picture of San Diego Comic-Con
US law enforcement agents have arrested at least 14 people in a sex trafficking sting operation during Comic-Con, the annual entertainment event in California's San Diego county. Working under cover, the joint operation of the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force (SDHTTF) along with other agents identified trafficers and victims in the operation from last Thursday to Saturday (July 25-27) .
At least 10 victimswere rescued from the trafficking ring, which included a minor aged only 16.
How the San Diego Comic-Con sex trafficking sting unfolded
According to a release from California Attorney General Rob Bonta's office, the operation targeted sex buyers as well as traffickers.
The joint investigation team "identified and arrested more than a dozen individuals participating in these illegal acts in our city over the weekend," said the release.
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It said that law enforcement agents "worked undercover as sex buyers to identify and contact potential victims of trafficking and arrest their traffickers." They alsoposted undercover advertisements soliciting sex to arrest sex buyers.
According to authorities, there are around 5,000 people falling victim to sex trafficking in San Diego county.
“Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalise on large scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta in the release. “These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”
“There is no more insidious crime than human trafficking,” the release quoted San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez as saying. “The coercion and violence which enslaves people for profit and places them into forced labour or sex is criminal."
Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge for HSI San Diego said, "When people use these events as an opportunity to prey upon minors... our law enforcement partners will find you and bring you before a court of law to face criminal charges. There is no place for alleged predators to operate in our city.”
What is Comic-Con?
Comic-Con International is a comic book, movie, video game and pop culture event that invites over 100,000 people to San Diego every year.
The event, known for its cosplay and big release announcements of movies, games and TV series, as well as star interactions, was being used by traffickers to peddle the sex trade.
(With inputs from agencies)