“It’s important that law enforcement focuses on identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and holding accountable those who prey on vulnerable individuals.”
CSLEA President Alan Barcelona
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force (SDHTTF) announced the results of Operation Home for the Holidays which was a multi-jurisdictional operation that concluded on November 30, 2023. SDHTTF uses undercover officers to target human trafficking who arrest potential traffickers and offer support to survivors. As a result of the multi-day operation, 12 individuals were offered support services and two arrests were made. The arrests have been referred to the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office and San Diego City Attorney’s Office.
During Operation Home for the Holidays, law enforcement personnel worked undercover as sex buyers to identify and contact potential victims of trafficking and traffickers. The operation was carried out across San Diego County on two separate days in the City of San Diego and National City, in collaboration with the National City Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police Department, and other SDHTTF law enforcement partners. As part of the effort, Child Welfare Services and adult and juvenile support service advocates were on scene to provide support as needed.
SDHTTF is a cooperative effort involving the California Department of Justice, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, National City Police Department, San Diego City Attorney’s Office, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County Probation Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police Department, Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. In addition to serving as the lead agency on the SDHTTF, the California Department of Justice has two regional Human Trafficking and Sexual Predator Apprehension Teams serving Northern California and Southern California.
If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in any activity and cannot leave, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 to access help and services. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1. Additional information and resources to support survivors of human trafficking is available here.
