A Watsonville man was sentenced to more than 25 years in state prison for human trafficking, sexual assault and drug crimes against minors, according to a release from the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office.
Luis Alberto Salas, 36, pleaded no contest to multiple counts of human trafficking involving minors and additional charges in Santa Cruz Superior Court on Aug. 29.
The conviction and sentence is the result of a multi-agency investigation of Salas’ Snapchat, which he used to contact and exploit minors throughout the county in 2023 and 2024. The investigation, led by the sheriff’s office, found that Salas had contacted minors through the social media platform to offer drugs in exchange for sex…