California

29 Arrested in Sex Trafficking Sting Targeting Buyers in San Diego: DA

The men were surprised to be handcuffed and arrested after responding to a fake sex ad

When a group of men--some active military, others donning wedding bands and even a sex abuse counselor--answered fake ads for sex, they were met by law enforcement.

In total, the "San Diego County Operation" targeting criminal sex buyers netted 29 arrests last week, confirmed the District Attorney's Office on Tuesday.

San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan and the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force released the results of a second annual multi-agency operation across California fighting to stop sex trafficking. The SoCal operation focused on buyers of sex.

“This operation is a wake-up call for men who buy sex, about the damage they are doing to our young women and children, and the cycle of abuse they are promoting,” Stephan said, in a statement. 

Once the men responded to the fake ads for sex, they went to a hotel. One man rode his bicycle there with a backpack full of sexual props. Another showed up wearing scrubs and turned out to be a sex abuse counselor at a nearby hospital.

The men were surprised to be handcuffed and arrested. According to the DA's Office, their cars were towed and their phones were seized.

Stephan said the men arrested were of all ages and backgrounds, and she emphasized the need to raise awareness for the plight of the victims.

“Buyers convince themselves they are involved in a hobby where there are no victims,” Stephan said. “The anonymity of the Internet emboldens 'Johns' to ask for and expect the most extreme acts."

The operation consisted of a collaboration between the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force and the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force. Officials said San Diego is one of the top 13 high-intensity areas for child prostitution, according to the FBI.

Law enforcement worked to send a clear message: men who buy sex are part of the cycle of abuse, said the DA's Office. They struck online because that's where more than 70 percent of sex trafficking takes place.

In San Diego, the underground sex industry is worth about $810 million a year, according to a university study. The DA's Office said an outreach campaign called The Ugly Truth recently highlighted myths about sex trafficking, including what kind of men buy sex.

Stephan said the sex buyers are often more violent than pimps and traffickers.

"'Johns' treat sex trafficking victims as less than human and they believe that there will be no one to hold them accountable for their actions," Stephan said. 

Operation Reclaim and Rebuild was carried out over three days, aiming to disrupt the demand and provide victims with services. 

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