South San Francisco police rescue 5, detain 1 in national human trafficking crackdown
Authorities on the Peninsula said five human trafficking survivors were rescued and one person was detained as part of a nationwide operation.
In a statement Tuesday, South San Francisco Police released details about the rescue operation, which took place at an undisclosed location in the city on April 23. During the operation, police said the survivors were "safely recovered" and connected with support services.
Police detained one suspected trafficker. The suspect's name was not released.
Multiple agencies joined the South San Francisco police department's Human Exploitation Apprehension Team in the operation, including the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center and police departments in Daly City, San Mateo and Brisbane.
Police said the rescues were part of "Operation Coast to Coast", a nationwide anti human-trafficking operation involving more than 250 law enforcement agencies in 30 states.
"To date, it is one of the largest anti-trafficking operations in United States history," the department said in a statement.
Nationwide, the operation has led to 129 victims being identified, including 11 minors. More than $500,000 in assets, 100 search warrants were executed and 139 traffickers and sex buyers were arrested, according to police.