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198 arrested in sex-trafficking crackdown across LA County, police say
File photo.
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Steven Bevacqua/Flickr/Creative Commons
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A crackdown on human trafficking last week resulted in the arrests of 198 potential suspects, the Los Angeles Police Department announced Thursday.
The LAPD said in a prepared statement that six suspected pimps were among those arrested during the crackdown, conducted from Jan. 18 to Jan. 23. Twelve children and six adults who had been trafficked for sexual purposes were provided with victim services, police said.
"The recovered minors were placed in protective custody and will receive assistance and social services from the Department of Children and Family Services, as well as other non-governmental organizations," the LAPD statement said.
Vice investigators across Los Angeles County conducted the operation — called "Operation Reclaim and Rebuild" — in observance of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, police said.
LAPD’s Detective Support and Vice Division, Human Trafficking Unit teamed up with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Human Trafficking Task Force and the FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force to conduct the operation.
"Operation Reclaim and Rebuild was extremely successful and the quantity of arrests sends a strong message to the community that human trafficking is not tolerated," the statement said. "Most importantly, the operation provided 18 victims of sexual exploitation the opportunity and ability to reclaim their freedom and rebuild their lives."
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