San Diego Sex Trafficking Industry Worth $800m Annually, Federal Report Finds

A federal report on sex trafficking in San Diego has revealed a vast underground industry worth more than $800m annually, eight times higher than previously estimated.

The report, considered the best measure of the problem’s scope to date, has shocked researchers and law enforcement officers in the region.

“I didn’t realize the amount of money involved,” said Bill Gore, the San Diego County sheriff.
Sex trafficking, defined as the trade in which someone has been forced, coerced or tricked into prostitution, involves some 110 gangs just in San Diego County, dubbed one of 13 hot spots for child sex trafficking in the US by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“This is a beautiful town with an ugly truth,” said Summer Stephan, the county’s chief deputy district attorney.

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