California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that a three-day sting operation targeting sex buyers during Comic-Con weekend in San Diego resulted in 13 arrests for solicitation. The operation, conducted from July 24 to 26, 2025, was led by the California Department of Justice’s San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force (SDHTTF).
“My office is proud of the dedicated work of the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force on this demand reduction operation,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “Solicitation is a crime, and these arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that we stand ready to hold them accountable. The demand for commercial sex is a driving factor that contributes to human trafficking, where perpetrators profit from the exploitation of people for sex or labor by force, fraud, or coercion. We are grateful to all our dedicated partners involved in the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, whose collaboration has been invaluable.”
Undercover agents contacted individuals suspected of seeking commercial sex throughout San Diego County. The resulting arrests were made under Penal Code 647(b)(2), which makes solicitation subject to jail time and fines. Authorities emphasized that while not all commercial sex is linked to human trafficking, the ongoing demand for such services enables traffickers who profit from forced or coerced sex work.
Attorney General Bonta also noted that events like Comic-Con bring large crowds and present opportunities both for raising awareness about human trafficking and for traffickers to operate. In response, his office partnered with Comic-Con International ahead of the event to provide information and resources aimed at helping the public identify and report signs of trafficking.
The SDHTTF includes multiple agencies working together: California Department of Justice, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, National City Police Department, San Diego City Attorney’s Office, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County Probation Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police Department, Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. The California Department of Justice also operates two regional teams focused on apprehending human traffickers and sexual predators across Northern and Southern California.
Anyone experiencing forced activity or aware of someone who may be in danger is encouraged to call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or dial 9-1-1 if immediate help is needed.
