Federal agents have arrested 10 individuals for alleged sex trafficking in Los Angeles, most of whom have links to the Hoover Criminals Gang.
The arrests were the result of Operation Broken Blade, a joint federal and local law enforcement initiative targeting gang-operated sex trafficking in Los Angeles.
In a July 6 statement, the Department of Homeland Security said its Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles office, along with federal and local partner agencies, executed more than 20 federal warrants during the week of July 1 and identified 51 victims, some as young as 14.
“The actions taken today by HSI are another decisive blow against those who have exploited the vulnerable people of our community, and they will now face the consequences of those actions,” Eddy Wang, special agent in charge for HSI Los Angeles, said in the statement.
Homeland Security said many of the suspects are career criminals with prior convictions including robbery, kidnapping, and burglary. According to the Justice Department, six suspects are members of the Hoover Criminal Gang, which operates in South Los Angeles.
All of the detained individuals face federal racketeering charges related to sex trafficking, money laundering, firearms offenses, and narcotics crimes.
Homeland Security said the suspects preyed on girls and young women who had run away from home, as well as children from foster care systems, and used social media to recruit victims for sex trafficking.
Federal prosecutors said the suspects allegedly enticed victims with promises of a luxurious lifestyle, then used intimidation and physical violence to control them. They were also accused of giving drugs to the victims to make them addicted and easier to exploit.
“We hope today’s arrests break the cycle of crime and abuse in one of L.A.’s most notorious human trafficking corridors,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said in a July 1 statement.
Authorities launched Operation Broken Blade in August last year to crack down on sex trafficking along the Figueroa Corridor in Los Angeles. The Justice Department said the area has “long been notorious for street prostitution.”
The latest operation was the second round of the initiative, following last year’s operation involving Customs and Border Protection, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol that resulted in 11 arrests.
