LOS ANGELES (WSVN) — Over 300 people have been arrested and dozens of victims, including 14 minors, have been rescued after a major sting operation against human trafficking across California.
According to KTLA, a total of 339 arrests were made and nearly 50 victims were saved in the sting titled Operation Reclaim and Rebuild.
Some of the victims found were as young as 13 years old. However, some cases involved children as young as 6.
A total of 93 human trafficking task forces and teams from various counties were part of the three-day operation.
Authorities said some of the suspects arrested were pimps who put the victims up for sale and people soliciting sex from underage teens. Investigators said some of the victims were runaways or were found through social media and chat sites online.
In one case, a 30-year-old man was seen sexually assaulting a 6-year-old child in multiple child pornography videos. That suspect was on probation and wanted for another unrelated crime.
In another case, a 17-year-old girl and her 14-yer-old sister were lured from a nearby city by a man the older sister met online, believing she was going to have a relationship with the man. Upon their arrival, the teens were forced to work in prostitution. The man then sold the girls to another man for $6,000.
A 54-year-old man was also arrested after he was accused of trying to solicit an undercover decoy posing as a 15-year-old boy for sex. Authorities said that suspect had previously been convicted of lewd conduct offenses in 2003. He was also characterized as a “dangerous predator.”
Authorities said the victims will be set up with services needed to help them rebuild their lives.
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