Human Trafficking Sting Across California Nets 339 Arrests, Rescue of Nearly 50 Victims Including Teens BY MARISSA WENZKE AND KAREEN WYNTER for KTLA5
GNN Note – There is no crisis on the border. There are no criminals crossing, illegally, into the U.S. – Who benefits? Where are these children being taken? Who is running these various human trafficking operations? What is their point of origin? How many more are being brought into the U.S. and why is there human trafficking going on in the U.S.?
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Fourteen minors were among the nearly 50 victims of human trafficking rescued during a sting across California that netted 339 arrests, law enforcement officials said Tuesday.
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Some of the victims found by law enforcement were as young as 13 while other cases involved children as young as 6, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said during a news conference alongside other authorities. Ninety-three human trafficking task forces and teams from various counties were part of the 3-day operation.
Among those arrested during “Operation Reclaim and Rebuild” were pimps who had put victims up for sale and individuals soliciting sex from underage teens, sheriff’s officials said. Some of those saved from the underground world of sex trafficking were runaways or victims found through social media and chat sites online.
“Dramatic stories” of rescues and arrests have been shared between law enforcement agencies, L.A. County Sheriff’s Assistant Chief Maria Gutierrez told reporters.
Naming a few such cases, Gutierrez said an adult man was seen sexually assaulting a 6-year-old child in multiple videos showing graphic child pornography. A 30-year-old suspect was found and arrested within 24 hours of authorities coming across the clips, she said.
The suspect was on felony probation and was wanted for another unrelated crime, the assistant chief said.
In another case, a 17-year-old girl was lured from a nearby city to Fresno by a man who she met online, Gutierrez said. Believing she was going to have a relationship with him, she also brought her 14-year-old sister to make the move.
