Authorities arrest 10 people accused of facilitating sex trafficking in Los Angeles

Ten people accused of facilitating a sex-trafficking operation that targeted about 51 underage girls and women have been arrested as California authorities conducted their latest operation to curb trafficking along the Figueroa corridor in Los Angeles, according to a Wednesday news release.Prosecutors said on Wednesday that members and associates of the south Los Angeles-based gang the Hoovers acted as pimps, recruiting minors and women, some of whom were runaways or foster kids, with the “false promise” of a better life or with violence into sex work between February 2021 and June 2026.One of the individuals facing charges, 23-year-old Cameron Lockett, allegedly beat a victim and bit off a chunk of her cheek in November 2024. Lockett sent her to a hospital for treatment and pressured her to lie to police officers about the injuries, authorities say.In July 2025, Caleed Mouton, 26, arranged an abortion for another trafficking victim, an underage girl, and ordered her to engage in sex work the same day, according to authorities.Mukeshkumar Ahir, the manager of Stadium Inn & Spas, has also been charged for pocketing more than $64,000 from the alleged sex-trafficking operation. Ahir, 45, allegedly reserved rooms for the illegal activity.“We hope today’s arrests break the cycle of crime and abuse in one of LA’s most notorious human-trafficking corridors,” said Bill Essayli, first assistant US attorney, in a news release.Jim McDonnell, the Los Angeles police chief, said: “We are dismantling the criminal enterprises that profit from human trafficking, rescuing victims and reclaiming the Figueroa corridor for the community that has always deserved better.”If convicted, the individuals face 15 years to life in prison.The corridor, a roughly 4-mile area that runs north to south, has been a frequent target for law enforcement, due to recurring sex-trafficking activity.Last year, 11 other individuals affiliated with the Hoover gang, including a 25-year-old woman, Amaya Armstead, described as its “de facto leader”, were charged with sex-trafficking crimes. Their trial is scheduled to begin next March.Budget cuts in 2021 depleted the LAPD’s resources to tackle human trafficking, according to the New York Times. According to the outlet, police officers’ ability to apprehend trafficked minors was also hampered by the repeal of a bill that had previously allowed police to arrest individuals who loitered for sex work (the repeal’s proponents, among them state senator and congressional candidate Scott Wiener, said it enabled discriminatory behavior against people of color and transgender communities).