539 Arrested in California Anti-Human Trafficking Operation

Week-long Operation Reclaim and Rebuild rescues 54 adults and 11 children, revealing a growing problem.

Operation Reclaim and Rebuild, a week-long statewide anti-human trafficking operation in California, resulted in 539 arrests, including 40 suspected traffickers and 271 'sex buyers'.
54 adults and 11 children were rescued from trafficking situations during the operation, with the youngest victim being a 14-year-old girl.
Law enforcement agencies from across the state, including the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, collaborated in the operation.
Examples of trafficking discovered include an undercover sex buyer operation in Pomona where 12 men were arrested, and a case where a suspect was offering sex work for money masked as modeling to young women.
Despite the success of the operation, officials note that there has been an 80% increase in rescues this year, indicating a growing problem.