Overview
- Conducted Jan. 25–31, the 12th annual multi-agency sweep was led by the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force with participation from about 80 local, state and federal agencies.
- Officials reported 611 criminal arrests statewide, including 71 suspected traffickers and 328 suspected sex buyers, and said 156 adults and 14 children were rescued as weapons and other contraband were recovered.
- Investigations targeted residential brothels and known prostitution corridors, with a citizen tip in Walnut exposing multiple brothels and six suspected traffickers and additional arrests along Los Angeles’s Figueroa Street.
- Authorities said victims included minors, including children as young as 13, and people transported from out of state and tribal lands.
- Prosecutors are processing cases and urging tougher penalties, including a proposed sex-buyer registry, while officials note totals exceeded prior years and that not all arrests will result in felony trafficking charges.