Overview
- A three-day operation that ran July 22–24, 2026 resulted in 27 arrests of suspected sex buyers and the recovery of nine suspected trafficking victims, officials said.
- Undercover agents with the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force initiated contact with suspected buyers and arrests were for solicitation, loitering to solicit, or related offenses.
- Authorities identified seven adult victims and two juveniles, including a 16-year-old reported missing from San Bernardino County, and offered all survivors access to victim-centered support.
- Federal and local prosecutors signaled plans to bring state charges that target buyers and available federal trafficking counts that carry 10- and 15-year mandatory minimums.
- Officials described the sting as part of a recurring demand-reduction strategy around large events like Comic‑Con and cited the county’s sizable commercial sex economy as a driver of trafficking.