Human-Trafficking In Marin Co.: 5 Arrests In Crackdown

SAN RAFAEL. CA – Law enforcement agencies in Marin County recently wound up a three-day operation focused on human trafficking that resulted in five arrests of area men on sex-related charges, according to officials.

"Operation Reclaim and Rebuild," an annual anti-human trafficking effort coordinated by the Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force ran from Thursday to Saturday, with more than 50 participating federal, state and local agencies, including the San Rafael and Novato police departments, Central Marin Police Authority and the Marin County Sheriff’s Department.

In Marin County, the focus was two-fold: targeting the "demand side" of prostitution by finding and arresting individuals willing to pay for sex with minors or adults; and locating adult or juvenile victims of the sex trade and arresting their traffickers, police said.

"Operation Reclaim and Rebuild focused on rescuing victims of sexual slavery and human trafficking, providing victims with much-needed services, identifying and arresting their captors, seeking successful prosecutions and disrupting the demand for vulnerable victims by targeting their customers," the San Rafael Police Department said.

Local police and deputies responded to online prostitution ads and through text and phone conversations, identified victims, traffickers and customers, and when suspects arrived at the specified meet-up locations, they were arrested, police said. Female victims were offered services through Community Violence Solutions and the opportunity to identify and arrest their traffickers, police said.

Arrests in Marin County from the operation, according to police, included: arrests for suspicion of contacting a minor with the intent of performing a sex act of Walter Artemio Diaz-Giron, 32, San Rafael, Mauricio Barbosa-Martinez, 36, San Rafael, Edin Hernandez-Vasquez, 26, San Rafael; Alejandro Lopez-Garcia, 42, San Rafael, cited and released for suspicion of soliciting an adult for prostitution; and Michael Ray Henry Jr., 33, Oakland, for suspected pandering, police said.

An Oakland woman, 23, also was detained for suspicion of providing prostitution services and was offered services from Community Violence Solutions, officials said.

San Rafael police emphasized to residents that "human trafficking does exist in Marin," and anyone who is a victim, or knows someone who is, should contact local law enforcement. To learn more, visit www.mcceht.org.

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--Image via Renee Schiavone, Patch