Police arrest 474, rescue 28 sexually exploited children in California statewide human trafficking sting
120 federal, state and municipal law enforcement agencies join forces in California to fight human trafficking
474 human operators arrested during statewide human trafficking sting
28 commercially and sexually exploited children and 27 adult victims saved by in “Operation Reclaim and Rebuild”
Some of the women were busted masquerading as female masseuse while other posted online within several different websites, where they offered sexual services for money
California police arrested 474 people connected to the sexual exploitation of 28 children as part of a statewide sting operation called “Operation Reclaim and Rebuild”.
Authorities said there were three goals of the operation: disrupting the demand for the vulnerable victims by targeting their buyers; identifying and arresting their captors and seeking successful prosecutions against them; and identifying and recovering victims of sexual slavery and human trafficking and providing them with needed services.
California law enforcement officials on Tuesday announced they arrested hundreds of people and rescued dozens of sexually exploited children and adults during a statewide sting operation taking aim at human trafficking.
LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell, Tuesday addressed a press conference announcing results of “Operation Reclaim and Rebuild” by the LA Regional Human Trafficking Task Force
“You are worthy of more. And we will work tirelessly with our partners … to provide you services and help you rebuild your life,” Sheriff Jim McDonnell vowed to victims during a news conference.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Lt. Brian Olmstead, who supervised the operation, said he was encouraged by the inter agency cooperation among law enforcement agencies working together to combat human trafficking.
“The Sheriff’s Office will continue to conduct stings in order to rescue victims of human trafficking and arrest the suspects who are enslaving these victims. We hope the public will be vigilant in reporting any suspicious activity that could be related to human trafficking,” Lt. Olmstead said.
“People who are victims of human trafficking have been rescued solely by citizens who reported seeing suspicious behavior.”
Aaron Hoggard, Anthony Syon and Aida Garcia-Perez were arrested for pimping some of the prostitutes in the sting
More than 120 federal, state and municipal law enforcement detectives participated in planning this operation, and worked together in hopes of sending a clear message that human trafficking will not be tolerated in the state of California.
Operation, called “Reclaim and Rebuild,” identified and arrested operators in the human trafficking, as well as, customers with hope of cutting down on future incidents.
The juvenile victims rescued during the operation were placed in the care of family service agencies across California.
The Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, as well as the Saving Innocence Organization, were also organizing efforts to assist victims, KTLA reported.
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