California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Tuesday that 14 people were arrested and 10 individuals were recovered as part of a human trafficking sting at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend.
Bonta said in a statement that the three-day joint operation with the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force targeted the annual convention because large-scale events tend to see sex traffickers "exploit their victims for profit."
Law enforcement officials posed as sex buyers in an effort to identify potential victims and traffickers, while online ads soliciting sex were also posted. Their efforts led to nine adult victims and a 16-year-old being recovered.
"The San Diego Police Department is a proud member of the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force," San Diego Police Chief Wahl. "Working together, teams identified and arrested more than a dozen individuals participating in these illegal acts in our City over the weekend. This successful operation recovered 10 victims of human trafficking, including a girl of just 16 years old."
Wahl continued, "These results show our collective dedication to combatting human trafficking and holding criminals accountable are working."
Bonta praised the arrest of over a dozen individuals as sending a "clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated."
Over 100,000 people attend San Diego Comic-Con every year.