13 people arrested in local anti-human trafficking operations

Numerous East Bay law enforcement agencies, working in collaboration with the Contra Costa Human Trafficking Task Force, arrested 13 people during a week-long statewide effort to recover survivors of human trafficking and apprehend their exploiters.   

As part of Operation Reclaim and Rebuild, task force partners conducted eight separate anti-human trafficking operations throughout Contra Costa County from Jan. 23 to 28.   

Their efforts yielded the identification of 30 survivors of human trafficking. All of the victims had the opportunity to speak with a specialized human trafficking victim advocate and were offered services.   

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"My office stands ready to evaluate these cases for prosecution and hold traffickers accountable for their exploitation of vulnerable members of our community," said county District Attorney Diana Becton. 

Katrina Natale, task force director, emphasized that "without the careful planning and  collaborative efforts of a wide array of law enforcement and victim services partners, the important outcomes achieved through these operations would not have been possible."