14 arrests made at San Diego Comic-Con in human trafficking sting
Comic-ConA Police task force arrested 14 people at 2024’s San Diego Comic-Con as part of a human trafficking sting, with 10 victims being recovered in the operation.
In a press release by the Attorney General of California, they announced that an investigation through the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force conducted an operation from July 25 to 27, which aimed to recover victims of sex trafficking and targeting sex buyers.
The operation resulted in the arrest of 14 people and the recovery of 10 victims, one of whom was a 16-year-old juvenile.
“Unfortunately, sex traffickers capitalize on large-scale events such as Comic-Con to exploit their victims for profit,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated.”
According to the press release, over the three days of the operation, law enforcement personnel went undercover as sex buyers to identify victims and arrest their traffickers by posting advertisements soliciting their services.
“There is no more insidious crime than human trafficking,” said San Diego Sheriff Kelly Martinex. “The coercion and violence which enslaves people for profit and places them into forced labor or sex is criminal.”
SDCC is generally one of the biggest events for San Diego every year, drawing in 100,000 visitors to the convention annually, however, as the press release states, it is also a place where human trafficking can take place.
In a statement to IGN, San Diego Comic-Con said they were unaware of the investigation.
“Obviously we find this very disturbing and, while we were not made aware of this operation, it is our understanding that the arrests were made outside of the event,” their statement reads.
“We work closely with a variety of law enforcement entities throughout the year and stand ready to assist in any way we can.”