The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service participated in a human trafficking operation in the Central Valley in California, USA. The valley encompasses all or parts of Butte County, Colusa County, Glenn County, Fresno County, Kern County, Kings County, Madera County, Merced County, Placer County, San Joaquin County, Sacramento County, Shasta County, Stanislaus County, Sutter County, Tehama County, Tulare County, Yolo County and Yuba County.
Also involved in the operation were the California Department of Justice, the Kings County Major Crimes Task Force and the police departments of three Kings County cities namely Corcoran, Hanford and Lemoore. It started on November 29, 2023 and ended on December 1, 2023.
During the operation, two females were rescued from human trafficking. Their ages were not revealed.
A total of 17 men were arrested. They are accused of arranging to meet to pay for sex, receiving money for sex, meeting with underage girls and boys for sex and arranging for underage girls to enter human trafficking.
The 17 suspects are facing various charges related to human trafficking and child exploitation. Here are their names and respective ages:
- Andrew Orosco, 24
- Andrew Prieto, 26
- Anthony Baffo, 47
- Benustiano Martinez Ceja, 30
- Cody Mendes, 30
- David Serrato, 35
- Elijah Perez, 22
- Ernesto Castro, 29
- Isaac Martinez, 29
- Jose Figueroa Laredo, 29
- Jose Garcia, 32
- Jose Jimenez Munoz, 34
- Jose Leon Martinez, 25
- Joshua Wilkinson, 35
- Juan Vasquez, 30
- Leyser Padilla Galicia, 30
- Raul Carrillo Flores, 38
Formed on July 26, 1908, the FBI is headquartered in Washington, D.C., USA. Its current director Christopher A. Wray, 56, was born in New York, USA.
Also headquartered in Washington, D.C., the DHS was formed on November 25, 2002. Its current secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, 64, was born in Havana, Cuba.
The NCIS was formed on December 14, 1993 and is headquartered in Quantico, Virginia, USA. Its current director Omar R. Lopez is a native of Los Angeles, California.
CONAN Daily 