Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna announced Tuesday the arrest of hundreds of people caught during a weeklong human trafficking operation.
“Let me be clear. Human trafficking and child exploitation are devastating crimes that prey on some of the most vulnerable members of our community,” Luna said during a 10 a.m. news conference.
The statewide operation dubbed Operation Reclaim and Rebuild involved more than 95 federal, state and local agencies, as well as multiple specialized task forces across California, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated in a news release Monday.
“California law enforcement and the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force made hundreds of arrests, and rescued adult and juvenile female victims,” the news release stated.
Luna broke down the numbers even further during the news conference.
A total of 539 criminal arrests were made, including 40 suspected traffickers and exploiters, and 271 suspected sex buyers, Luna said.
Fifty-four adults and 11 children were rescued during the operation.
Luna was joined by Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon and Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang from Homeland Security Investigation.
The news conference was streamed live on the LASD Facebook page.
