Federal authorities have arrested 10 individuals in Los Angeles in connection with a sex trafficking operation linked to the Hoover Criminals Gang (HCG). The arrests were part of Operation Broken Blade, an initiative by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) aimed at dismantling human trafficking rings.
Officials announced the execution of 20 federal warrants and the subsequent arrests last Wednesday. During the operation, investigators identified 51 victims of sex trafficking, some of whom were as young as 14 years old. The suspects face federal racketeering charges that include sex trafficking, money laundering, firearms offenses, and narcotics offenses.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), many of the arrested individuals are described as "career criminals" with prior histories of robbery, kidnapping, and burglary. Special Agent Eddy Wang of HSI stated that the operation represents a "decisive blow against those who have exploited the vulnerable people of our community."
Operation Broken Blade was initially launched in August 2025 by HSI Los Angeles in collaboration with Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Los Angeles Police Department, and the California Highway Patrol. This recent action marks the second phase of arrests under the initiative. The 10 suspects are scheduled to stand trial in March 2027.
DHS has made disrupting sex trafficking rings a priority. This operation in Los Angeles highlights the ongoing efforts by federal agencies to combat organized smuggling operations that involve the trafficking of people, drugs, and weapons into the country. These efforts continue even as overall illegal border crossings have significantly decreased since late 2024. In May, for example, there were approximately 13,500 encounters at the border, a substantial drop from over 144,000 encounters in December 2024.