California’s rampant prostitution problem had johns lined up for sex like they were at a “fast-food drive-through,” police said as they announced a series of sting operations that netted dozens of arrests.
Authorities in San Diego County, California, arrested 48 people in a trafficking and sexual exploitation investigation across San Diego and National City from Jan. 9 to Feb. 10.
“Young women being openly trafficked in broad daylight, with individuals paying for sex lined up like they were going through a fast-food drive-through,” San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said at a news conference Tuesday. “It’s an unacceptable situation.”
The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force led “Operation Better Pathways,” assisted by law enforcement officials at the local, state and federal level.Â
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Officials carried out a total of 17 stings in the county, focusing on areas such as Dalbergia Street in San Diego, Naval Base San Diego and Roosevelt Avenue in National City, the Los Angeles Times reported. Â
“What I saw was what drove me to be a prosecutor in the first place,” Stephan added. “What I saw was that look in the eyes of human beings like they are products, products with hardly any clothing on. Lines of cars like this is some kind of… buying a hamburger at a 24/7 place. But these are human beings.”
A total of 39 people were arrested for misdemeanors related to allegedly buying sex, nine people were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking of a minor and assault with a deadly weapon.
Officials also identified 41 suspected victims of human trafficking or sex exploitation – eight of whom were children, including one girl who was only 13 years old.
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta also attended the press conference, lauding officials for…
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