A suspect was arrested at an Orange County hotel for alleged sex trafficking and pimping.
The male suspect was identified as Winston Jones, 33, from Los Angeles, according to the Irvine Police Department.
Undercover agents converged at an Irvine hotel after receiving information that a woman was suspected of being trafficked for sex work.
As Jones and the female victim arrived at the hotel, the woman was “detained and safely removed from the situation” by officers.
The suspect was taken into custody at the scene. He was arrested on several human trafficking-related charges including pimping and pandering.
The operation was a joint effort by Irvine Police’s Special Investigations Unit and the Orange County Human Trafficking Task Force.
“This case highlights the important work [the task force does] to hold perpetrators accountable and help victims emerge from crisis by providing them with the appropriate resources,” police said.
“Everyone has the potential to discover a human trafficking situation,” said U.S. State Department officials. “While the victims may sometimes be kept behind locked doors, they are often hidden right in front of us at, for example, construction sites, restaurants, elder care centers, nail salons, agricultural fields, and hotels.”