Multiple arrests made in Bay Area human trafficking investigations
By Jose Fabian
Over a dozen people were arrested in separate anti-human trafficking operations in the Bay Area, according to Oakland police and the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office.
On Wednesday, OPD said eight people were arrested during a targeted enforcement operation on International Boulevard Tuesday night.
A man from Oakland and a Hayward man were arrested on suspicion of solicitation of prostitution, and four Oakland residents, a San Leandro resident and a San Pablo resident were arrested on suspicion of loitering with intent to solicit prostitution, police said.
The operation in Oakland was conducted by the department’s VICE and Commercial Exploitation Unit and the FBI, police said.
In Contra Costa County, District Attorney Diana Becton’s Office said a task force conducted Operation Reclaim and Rebuild in the last days of January, which led to the arrest of 11 people.
The arrests were made in five separate operations conducted in the county between Jan. 25 and Jan. 31. The DA said the 11 were arrested on varying charges, which include suspicion of sex trafficking, pimping, pandering and gun offenses.
There are two people who were arraigned in court on suspicion of pandering a minor over age 16 for prostitution and human trafficking of a minor, according to court records.
One of them faces additional charges of lewd act upon a child and pandering a minor under age 16 for prostitution, court records show.
The DA said that during the operation, 20 human trafficking survivors were identified, and that three of them are youth survivors.
“Our priority is supporting survivors, ensuring they receive the help they need, and bringing their exploiters to justice,” said Task Force Director Katrina Natale.
The Contra Costa Human Trafficking Task Force is led by the DA’s office and the Community Violence Solutions. For the operation, a total of 21 different agencies from the local, state and federal level worked with the task force.
