November 17, 2025 - SAN DIEGO — As part of a nationwide, joint effort by over 150 law enforcement agencies, non-profits, and corporations, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the results of the second “Operation Coast to Coast.” The operation occurred in October, across 15 states and multiple cities, with the goal of sharing intelligence, identifying trafficking victims, and arresting traffickers. As a result of the operation, 34 individuals were arrested and 77 survivors were offered support services, including three minors. The multi-state operation is part of a regional effort to combat human trafficking and sexual exploitation through targeted enforcement, relying both on surveillance of known locations and officers working undercover.
“The objective of Operation Coast to Coast is to maximize impact by working together to increase the total number of human trafficking investigations and prosecutions nationwide, to hold perpetrators of human trafficking accountable, and support survivors along the way,” said Attorney General Bonta. “It is vital that we carry out our goal in a manner that is trauma-informed and culturally competent. That’s why our special agents receive specialized training and experience to appropriately handle these cases with the sensitivity, compassion, and the care they deserve. I am thankful for these strong national partnerships and look forward to all that we can accomplish when we work together.”
In California, the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force (SDHTTF), led by the California DOJ, took part in the operation. In support of Operation Coast to Coast, the SDHTTF conducted two simultaneous operations, one focused on street-level contacts and recoveries in San Diego’s National City “Blade”, and one focusing on hotel-based "outcall operations," wherein undercover Task Force Officers respond to online commercial sex advertisements involving suspected or known minors and set up meetings in a hotel, where survivors are then contacted, interviewed, and offered support services. As a result of these operations, two juvenile trafficking victims were recovered, and 13 adults were contacted; all were offered resources and support services.
The San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force is a cooperative effort involving the California DOJ, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California Highway Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, National City Police Department, San Diego City Attorney’s Office, San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, San Diego County Probation Department, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police Department, Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, Naval Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
The California DOJ Victims’ Services Unit (VSU) works in conjunction with victim service providers all across the state to provide victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally-sensitive support services to all crime victims, including underserved, at-risk, underrepresented, and vulnerable populations. More information about VSU is available at oag.ca.gov/victimservices or by calling (877) 433-9069 or visiting oag.ca.gov/victimservices/contact.
If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in any activity and cannot leave, you can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 to access help and services. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1. Additional information and resources to support survivors of human trafficking is available here.
Source: CA. DOJ
