Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies arrested 14 people and recovered 10 potential victims in a human trafficking case this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, according to a press release shared Tuesday by California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D).
“Unfortunately, sex traffickers take advantage of large-scale events like Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,” Bonta said in an accompanying statement. “These arrests send a clear message to potential perpetrators that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”
During the three-day operation that began July 25, undercover law enforcement officers posed “as sex buyers” to identify and contact potential victims to arrest their traffickers, the statement said. Authorities also tried to lure buyers with “undercover advertisements” soliciting sex.
The joint investigation at Comic-Con, the annual comic book and pop culture convention that draws more than 100,000 fans annually, led to the recovery of nine adult potential victims and one 16-year-old, according to Tuesday’s press release.
The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force led the effort, which also involved personnel from the Department of Justice, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, California Highway Patrol, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and many others.
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“There is no crime more insidious than human trafficking,” San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinez said in the news release. “The coercion and violence that enslaves people for profit and forces them into forced labor or sex is criminal.”
“As sheriff, I support the efforts of all of our judicial partners to hold perpetrators accountable,” he continued. “I appreciate the focus placed on identifying and rescuing victims of human trafficking at the recent convention.”
Launched in 1979 as an annual gathering for passionate comic book fans, Comic-Con has since grown into an entertainment expo in which major movie studios hold star-studded panels for debut trailers or early footage of upcoming films.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Online Sexual Assault Hotline or the Website of the National Resource Center for Sexual Violence.