Benicia PD Arrest 2, Rescue 4 In Human Trafficking Sting

BENICIA, CA — Benicia police helped rescue nearly two dozen women and arrested 10 suspects during a weeklong, multi-agency human trafficking operation.

On one day in Benicia alone, local detectives found four victims of human trafficking, arrested two suspects for pimping and pandering, and seized multiple firearms on Jan. 26, according to the Benicia Police Department.

The arrests were part of a 5-day California initiative, called “Operation Reclaim and Rebuild,” which authorities say led the rescue of nearly 200 victims, including 14 children, one as young as 13.

Across Solano County, authorities rescued 21 women and arrested 10 suspects related to pimping, pandering, and the purchase of sex workers, Benicia police said.

Detectives from the Benicia Police Department coordinated local stings targeting human trafficking victims, traffickers, sex workers, and buyers with the Vacaville Police Department, Suisun City Police Department, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office, the Napa County Investigative Bureau, and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office.

Authorities statewide reported that this year’s Reclaim and Rebuild operation involved more than 80 federal, state, and local agencies and task forces, resulting in 611 arrests and 170 victims rescued, including 14 teenagers.

The Los Angeles Police Department leads the annual statewide initiative in partnership with local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, nonprofit organizations, and Homeland Security Investigations, the primary investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, authorities said.