In a statement on Friday, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office announced the results of Operation Reclaim and Rebuild, a statewide effort to combat human trafficking.
According to SBCSO, sting operations in the county led to the arrest of 12 sex buyers and one human trafficker. Five potential victims of human trafficking were also rescued.
The Santa Barbara County Human Trafficking Task Force is made up of investigators with the Sheriff's Office, Santa Barbara PD, Santa Maria PD, Lompoc PD, and the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
This years’ statewide effort resulted in the rescue of 87 juvenile and adult victims, and the arrest of over 518 individuals for crimes associated with human trafficking.
