Single tip triggers massive California human trafficking bust with more than 600 arrests
A single tip about a quiet suburban home in California exploded into a massive human trafficking takedown that rescued nearly 20 children, uncovered residential brothels and netted more than 600 arrests statewide, authorities said Tuesday.
The week-long operation, dubbed Operation Reclaim and Rebuild, involved dozens of agencies and led to the rescue of 12 adults and five children in Los Angeles County alone, officials said during a news conference.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said the entire investigation began with a single citizen complaint about a suspicious home in Walnut. That tip led to months of surveillance and the discovery of multiple trafficking locations in nearby suburban neighborhoods.
Among the 611 total arrests were suspected traffickers and hundreds of sex buyers, though authorities have not yet said how many will face felony human trafficking charges versus lesser solicitation offenses.
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Officials said some of the victims rescued came from as far away as Illinois, Oklahoma and Missouri, underscoring the scope of the human trafficking ring.
"We have traffickers that are putting barely teenage girls on the streets of Los Angeles to be victimized, repeatedly, over and over again," said LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton. "These children did not come from one place. They came from Chicago, from Oklahoma, from Missouri, tribal lands ... and from communities right here in the state of California."
Authorities have not released the identities of suspects or the exact locations of the residential brothels.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman called the trafficking network "modern slavery," saying the county has become a major hub for that type of crime.
"How embarrassing that I could actually say that we have corridors of human sex trafficking throughout Los Angeles County," Hochman said. "It’s also a dubious distinction that Los Angeles County is one of the epicenters of human sex trafficking in the entire nation."
Hochman’s office is now processing cases tied to the arrests, while law enforcement agencies say they will continue monitoring known trafficking corridors to prevent brothels from reopening in residential neighborhoods.
Authorities urged residents to report suspicious activity, emphasizing that the investigation was launched because one person spoke up.