Almost 500 people were arrested and more than 80 sex workers ''rescued'' in a statewide human trafficking operation, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Thirty-four people suspected of trafficking or exploiting sex workers were arrested and 201 were arrested on suspicion of attempting to exchange money for sex, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said of the week-long campaign, named Operation Reclaim and Rebuild. He did not explain the remaining number of arrests.
About six dozen adults and eight minors were ''rescued,'' he said.
''All across the state, law enforcement agencies joined us to send a message to pimps, exploiters and buyers that it is unacceptable to buy another human being for sexual purposes,'' Villanueva said.
One man was arrested and accused of running a nationwide prostitution ring, according to the Times. Two handguns, an AR-15, a shotgun, body armor and 100 rounds of ammunition were found after a search warrant was served, Villanueva said.
In another instance, officers set up a date online with a woman, and police pulled over the car of the man who was driving her. They found an unregistered handgun.
The woman had been working for the man for two years, starting when she was a minor, Villanueva said.
''That should kind of illustrate to you how pervasive this is, once they get their claws on someone, they're going to continue exploiting them from childhood into adulthood,'' the sheriff added.
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