2 Minors Rescued In National City During Anti-Sex-Trafficking Sting

SAN DIEGO, CA — Two minors were rescued in the San Diego area as part of a nationwide multi-agency anti-sex-trafficking sweep last month, the California Attorney General's Office announced this week.

Operation Coast to Coast was conducted across 15 states, resulting in 34 arrests and the recovery of 77 survivors, including three juveniles, officials said.

In California, personnel with the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force responded to online sex advertisements that were believed to involve minors. During meet-ups at local hotels and street-level operations in a notorious sex-trafficking area in National City and southern San Diego known as "the Blade," officers contacted the two underage victims -- both teenage girls -- and 13 women, said Joanne Adams, a spokesperson for the attorney general.

All 15 of them were offered resources and support services.

"The objective of Operation Coast to Coast is to maximize impact by working together to increase the total number of human trafficking investigations and prosecutions nationwide, to hold perpetrators of human trafficking accountable, and support survivors along the way," state Attorney General Rob Bonta said.

"It is vital that we carry out our goal in a manner that is trauma- informed and culturally competent. That's why our special agents receive specialized training and experience to appropriately handle these cases with the sensitivity, compassion, and the care they deserve," Bonta added. "I am thankful for these strong national partnerships and look forward to all that we can accomplish when we work together."

No arrests in connection with the operation took place in San Diego County, Adams said.

— City News Service