NBC News: 14 arrested at Comic-Con in anti-human trafficking sting in San Diego

This year, the California Justice Department's San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force launched an undercover operation to target sex trafficking at the convention that unfolded from July 25 to 27.

Law enforcement personnel worked undercover posing as sex buyers in a bid to identify and contact potential trafficking victims and posted undercover advertisements soliciting sex to home in on sex buyers, prosecutors said in a news release.

Fourteen sex buyers were arrested in the three-day sting and face solicitation charges. Nine adult potential victims of sex trafficking were recovered, and a 16-year-old juvenile was also recovered.

"Child Welfare Services and adult and juvenile support service advocates were on scene to provide support as needed," the release said.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement that sex traffickers “capitalize on large scale events such as Comic-Con to export their victims for profit.”

“These arrests send a clear message to potential offenders that their criminal behavior will not be tolerated. We are grateful to all our dedicated partners involved in the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force, whose collaboration has been invaluable,” he added. “We take great pride in our office’s commitment to uplifting vulnerable Californians by offering them assistance and guidance when they need it most.”

The San Diego Comic Convention told NBC San Diego that the results of the operation were "very disturbing" and that it had not been aware of the sting.

“It is our understanding that the arrests were made outside of the event. We work closely with a variety of law enforcement entities throughout the year and stand ready to assist in any way we can,” it said.