Undercover Comic-Con sex-trafficking sting nets 14 arrests, recovery of 10 possible victims

The undercover operation, launched by agencies as part of the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, targeted sex buyers with a goal of recovering potential victims of sex trafficking and arresting traffickers, state Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a news release. It ran from last Thursday through Saturday.

The 14 people were arrested on suspicion of solicitation, a misdemeanor.

“Working together, teams identified and arrested more than a dozen individuals participating in these illegal acts in our City over the weekend,” San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said in a statement. “These results show our collective dedication to combatting human trafficking and holding criminals accountable are working.”

Christopher Davis, acting special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, said people sometimes use special events like Comic-Con to prey upon minors.

Officers posed as sex buyers and contacted potential victims of trafficking during the popular annual downtown convention, which focuses on comic books and pop culture. As part of the operation, officers also posted ads soliciting sex in online chat websites.

Child Welfare Services and support service advocates were on the scene to provide support to the victims, officials said.

The task force is a cooperative effort involving the state DOJ, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Highway Patrol, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, National City and San Diego police, the county Sheriff’s Department, as well as prosecutors and probation officials. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service also assisted in the operation.

A DOJ spokesperson said 34 to 50 officers participated in the sting on any given day.