The operation, dubbed Operation Iron Justice, was conducted from July 22 through July 24 by the multi-agency San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force. According to the California Department of Justice, investigators focused on reducing demand for commercial sex during one of San Diego’s largest annual events, when more than 130,000 visitors descend on the downtown convention center and surrounding neighborhoods.
Undercover agents initiated contact with suspected buyers throughout San Diego County. Authorities said 27 people were arrested on suspicion of solicitation, loitering for purposes of solicitation or other related offenses before being transported to jail for booking.
The operation also led to the recovery of seven adults and two juveniles whom authorities identified as trafficking victims. Among them was a 16-year-old who had been reported missing from San Bernardino County. Those recovered were offered access to victim advocates, support programs and other services.
“The ugly truth is that the demand for these illegal services fuels the supply of commercial sex operations and human trafficking,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in announcing the results. “No matter if it’s around large-scale conventions or anywhere else, solicitation is a crime and California stands ready to hold offenders accountable.”
Officials emphasized that commercial sex and human trafficking are not automatically synonymous. Under federal law, commercial sex involving an adult generally becomes trafficking when force, fraud or coercion is involved. Any commercial sexual exploitation involving a minor, however, is considered trafficking regardless of whether coercion can be demonstrated.
Law-enforcement agencies nevertheless argue that demand from buyers creates a profitable market in which traffickers can exploit vulnerable adults and children.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said the arrests should serve as a warning that purchasing sex is not a victimless offense.
“The arrest of 27 sex buyers during this large-scale gathering sends a clear message that purchasing sex is not a victimless crime,” Stephan said. “It drives an illicit industry that generates more than $810 million a year in San Diego County and profits from exploitation of children and adults.”
San Diego City Attorney Heather Ferbert said her office has filed 81 cases against alleged sex buyers so far this year, citing California laws that increasingly target purchasers rather than concentrating enforcement solely on people selling sex.
“The demand for commercial sex is what makes trafficking profitable, and in the City of San Diego, buyers will be held accountable,” Ferbert said.
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon said the operation demonstrated coordination among local, state and federal agencies and warned that federal prosecutors may pursue sex-trafficking charges carrying mandatory minimum prison terms of 10 or 15 years when the evidence supports them.
The enforcement effort was led by the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, which brings together agencies including the California Department of Justice, San Diego Police Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, local prosecutors and victim-service organizations.
Authorities say major conventions and sporting events can create conditions that traffickers attempt to exploit because large numbers of visitors arrive with disposable income, stay in hotels and may believe they can engage in illegal conduct anonymously while away from home.
Investigators told The California Post that suspected buyers frequently use classified-style websites and other online platforms to arrange encounters in hotels, residences, vehicles and properties functioning as brothels. Although some activity occurs near the convention center and downtown hotels, enforcement was conducted throughout San Diego County rather than solely around Comic-Con.
Operation Iron Justice produced more than twice as many alleged buyer arrests as the comparable Comic-Con enforcement action conducted one year earlier.
During Comic-Con weekend in 2025, the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force arrested 13 people on suspicion of attempting to purchase commercial sex. That operation, conducted from July 24 through July 26, similarly placed undercover agents in contact with suspected buyers as part of a demand-reduction strategy.
The 2025 sting followed another operation conducted during Comic-Con in 2024, when authorities arrested 14 alleged sex buyers and recovered 10 potential trafficking victims, including a 16-year-old girl. Taken together, the three Comic-Con-period operations have resulted in 54 arrests and the recovery of at least 19 potential victims since 2024.
This year’s results represent the largest of the three operations by arrest count.
San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez said the recovery of both adults and children illustrates why agencies continue conducting such operations despite the difficulty of identifying trafficking victims, who may be fearful, controlled by traffickers or reluctant to speak with law enforcement.
“The recovery of adult and juvenile victims during this operation underscores why this work is so critical,” Martinez said. “Human trafficking is a crime that often goes unnoticed. Every successful recovery is a life changed.”
Officials also cautioned against assuming that trafficking appears only in the form of street prostitution. Victims can be exploited through hotels, massage businesses, private residences, online advertisements, domestic servitude and forced labor. Large events can also create labor-trafficking risks involving food service, construction, entertainment, transportation and temporary staffing.
Comic-Con International has been held in San Diego for more than five decades and has grown from a small comic-book gathering into one of the world’s largest pop-culture conventions. While the event generates enormous economic activity for the region, law enforcement has increasingly used its visibility to warn visitors about trafficking and the legal consequences of attempting to purchase sex.
Anyone who believes they or someone else may be a victim of human trafficking may contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. Anyone facing immediate danger should call 911.
Originally published on July 29, 2026.