Authorities Tuesday said a statewide effort to combat human trafficking netted more that 500 arrests for various criminal violations and resulted in the rescue of 76 adults and 11 children.
The multi-agency effort, dubbed "Operation Reclaim and Rebuild,'' was
conducted between Jan. 26 and Feb. 1, and included personnel from the Los
Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva.
"Law enforcement agencies from across the state joined us to send a
message to pimps, to exploiters and to buyers: it is unacceptable to buy
another human being for sexual purposes,'' Villanueva said.
"Don't do business in Los Angeles County or the State of California,'' he said. "We will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.''
Villanueva said there were 518 arrests statewide for various crimes. Among those arrested were 27 suspected "human traffickers and exploiters'' and 266 customers.
Investigators rescued 76 adults and 11 children from the human traffickers, Villanueva said. Federal, state and local agencies participated in the operation.
