'Illicit Sexual Services' Targeted In Palm Desert, Valley

PALM DESERT, CA — Sixty-four people, including three Palm Desert residents and 14 others from across the Coachella Valley, were arrested as part of a sting targeting "johns" looking for prostitutes.

The suspects were netted during "Operation Reclaim & Rebuild" conducted Jan. 25-28 by the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force and allied law enforcement partners.

As part of the operation, task force members placed decoy advertisements on websites "commonly used for the solicitation of prostitution," according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. The task force members then responded to prospective johns and brokered a deal for sex.

The johns were arrested as they arrived at a pre-determined meeting location, the sheriff's department reported.

Task force members also targeted prostitutes who were advertising sex for sale. In those instances, undercover task force members posed as customers and were given directions on where to meet. When undercover task force members arrived at the locations, they interviewed the prostitutes, and — if they were not being trafficked — they were arrested.

In two cases, two women were believed to be victims of sex trafficking, according to the sheriff's department.

Operation Reclaim & Rebuild is an annual multi-agency statewide initiative that focuses on "rescuing victims of sexual slavery and human trafficking, identifying and arresting their captors, and disrupting demand for these vulnerable victims," according to the sheriff's department. The operation is timed to coincide with National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

To see a complete list of the Riverside County Operation Reclaim & Rebuild arrestees, click here.