Feds, East Bay DAs announce results of massive anti-human trafficking operation

MARTINEZ — Federal and state authorities in the Bay Area arrested nine people and identified 21 victims of human trafficking over a two-week period as part of a national operation, officials announced at a Wednesday news conference.

Dubbed Operation Cross Country, the annual anti-human trafficking campaign originated in the Bay Area 13 years ago and has since gone nationwide. At a news conference headed by the FBI and both District Attorney’s offices in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, officials said they couldn’t discuss specific case information, just the numbers.

Of the 21 victims identified, four were children and 17 were adults, authorities said. Contra Costa District Attorney Diana Becton said charges were “forthcoming” against the nine people arrested but hadn’t been filed yet.

“This crime is a real problem here in California,” Becton said, adding that the statewide human trafficking reports make up 13 percent of those sent to a nationwide reporting service.

Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Greg Boller said the operation took a “victim-centric” approach to offer services to victims immediately after they were brought in. He said two victim assistors waited 10 hours while Oakland police conducted an operation, so that they could speak directly with five human trafficking victims.

“It had an impact, and there was a voice for them that may not have existed prior, someone who could speak for them in the future, if the cases proceeded to court, if justice was able to be served,” Boller said. “Our goal is to stop predatory behavior. Pimps are predators.”