A task force that targeted human trafficking during Super Bowl festivities around the Bay Area arrested 29 alleged traffickers and rescued 73 victims, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
Among the victims rescued by the Human Trafficking Task Force were 10 minors. One victim was a 12-year-old who was recovered in Oakland, the DA’s office said in a statement Thursday.
In a two-week period prior to the NFL’s championship game in Santa Clara on Feb. 8, law enforcement from 67 agencies in 11 counties participated in the task force, which is deployed when large-scale events like the Super Bowl are held.
The DA’s office said it has seen an increase in instances of human trafficking during past events that drew thousands of visitors to the area, and the task force will be operational again in the run up to the FIFA World Cup.
Levi’s Stadium will host matches for the World Cup from June 13 to July 1.
The task force, headquartered at a command center in Sunnyvale, included 20 investigators from multiple agencies working with representatives from nonprofit organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and In Our Backyard.
The team investigated tips in real time and reduced investigations that sometimes take weeks into minutes, according to the DA’s office.
In a partial breakdown of the statistics, the task force launched about 40 separate operations and recovered 20 victims in San Mateo County; 17 in Contra Costa County; and seven in Santa Clara County.
Seven alleged human traffickers were arrested in Contra Costa County, six were arrested in Monterey County, six in Solano County, and two in Santa Clara County, according to the DA’s Office.
A firearm was also seized in the Santa Clara County operation.