SerpApi.Org
A Sacramento human trafficking task force arrested 13 people accused of buying sex and recovered a missing child who authorities identified as a victim of sex trafficking, California’s attorney general announced Tuesday.
The July 15 operation by the Sacramento Regional Human Trafficking Task Force targeted people seeking to buy commercial sex and suspected traffickers while also assisting trafficking victims.
“The California Department of Justice will continue to dismantle sex trafficking networks by cutting off the demand for these illegal services and supporting survivors along the way,” state Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a Tuesday statement. “Human trafficking and sexual exploitation are profound violations of human rights that have no place in California.”
In all, 12 people were arrested on suspicion of soliciting prostitution and cited for release, while another was arrested and booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of solicitation and resisting arrest, according to authorities. The cases will be referred to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Task force members also located a juvenile trafficking victim who had been reported missing by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the Attorney General’s Office said.
The July 15 operation was part of a regional strategy focused on reducing the demand for illegal commercial sex, authorities said. The task force conducted surveillance at locations known for suspected commercial sex activity and used undercover officers during the operation.
The Sacramento task force includes the California Department of Justice, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, the Sacramento Police Department, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations.
“Every purchase of sex fuels exploitation, so holding buyers accountable is essential to protecting survivors and preventing future harm,” Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho said in a statement announcing the arrests.
The operation was the latest in a series of regional human trafficking enforcement efforts. In March, the same regional task force announced the arrests of 121 people during a 16-day operation targeting people seeking to buy sex along Stockton Boulevard in south Sacramento.
The announcement also came a day after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order directing state agencies to develop new strategies for identifying human trafficking victims and improving coordination among agencies that provide services to survivors. The order requires state officials to recommend new approaches to prevention, victim identification and interagency collaboration.
