Authorities in Los Angeles on Tuesday announced the results of a nationwide human trafficking operation, announcing the arrest of more than 600 suspects and saying that more than 170 victims were rescued as part of the operation.
The week-long campaign was part of an annual effort led by the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force, along with 80 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to stop what officials say is a crime against the most vulnerable.
“This is a multi-billion dollar industry,” said Los Angeles County Dist. He said. Nathan Hochman. “It is nothing less than modern slavery.”
The operations focused on corridors known for prostitution, and included parole checks and checks on people previously arrested for similar crimes, authorities said. In another incident, Sheriff Robert Luna said, a citizen’s complaint about a possible residence led to the discovery of several residences in Walnut and the arrest of six suspects.
“California will not be a haven for predators,” Luna said.
The arrests and the annual law enforcement campaign, Luna said, are intended to send a message to the traffickers in the area: “We are following you, don’t do this, you will be arrested, you will be charged.”
This year’s operation was carried out in the last week of January, but the law enforcement officers emphasized that the law is still in progress.
“This is 365,” Hochman said. “It did not end in January, we will continue to prosecute these cases throughout the year.”
611 criminals were arrested, and 156 adults were rescued as part of this program, officials said. In addition, 14 children were rescued from sex trafficking. Officials said 71 suspected traffickers were arrested, and 328 other sex traffickers were arrested.
The prices were significantly higher than previous works. Last year, the same week-long operation arrested 547 people, compared to 539 in 2024.
“We get better every year, we get more experience every year,” Luna said. “Those numbers go up, but eventually they go down. The message is going to get out, and it’s going to be slow.”
In Los Angeles County alone, the operation resulted in 192 arrests, including multiple arrests in the Figueroa Street corridor, which is known for prostitution and human trafficking, said LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton.
“We have traffickers taking young girls off the streets of Los Angeles to be abused,” he said.
Hamilton noted that most of the suspected traffickers arrested during the operation traveled from outside the state to Los Angeles, including from Washington, Virginia, Idaho and Mississippi to bring men, women and children “fast, dirty money to the streets of Los Angeles.”
In one incident, Hamilton said, security guards on Jan. 26 responded to reports about a woman who was left on the bus. After police comforted the woman and gained her trust, she asked them for help, Hamilton said.
Law enforcement officials said the project is not only focused on identifying predators and suspects, but also victims so they can be connected to services and help. Often, officials said, pimps and predators look for young, vulnerable people to exploit.
“They’re looking for runaways,” said Hochman. “They’re looking for people who have just come out of foster care, they’re attracting people using online tools and social media.”
Hochman described the number of client arrests – 328 – as “surprising.”
Los Angeles County prosecutors will be looking to charge as many counts as felonies, Hochman said, adding that he is interested in forcing state legislatures to increase penalties for sex traffickers and prostitutes, known as Johns.
“If there wasn’t a need for people willing to pay good, cold, hard money to have sex with these little girls and boys, they would be gone,” Hochman said.
Hochman said he is interested in creating a sex offender registry website, similar to the state’s sex offender program, that would publish the photo, conviction and neighborhood of each person convicted of paying for sex.
“To embarrass them, yes, but it’s to embarrass them and prevent others from engaging in this behavior,” Hochman said.
Hochman also criticized the country’s current sex-trafficking laws, which do not treat cases involving adults as serious, violent criminals, he said. Criminals and gangsters take advantage of it, he said he knows that they will not face serious charges unless the victims are under age.
“We are looking for remedies that we can bring to the state Legislature to give us the tools to deal with these abusers,” said Hochman.
