18 men arrested after undercover sex trafficking operation

18 men could be facing misdemeanor prostitution charges, after an undercover operation in La Quinta.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said that members of the La Quinta Special Enforcement Team, along with the Riverside County Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, the Coachella Community Action Team, and the Southern Coachella Valley Community Services District conducted a demand reduction sex trafficking operation on Thursday.

Officials said that officers went undercover on several popular classified advertisement websites.

They said that these sites are commonly used for prostitution.

Officers responded to prospective customers on these sites, who were replying to the prostitution advertisements.

After an agreement was reached, the "Johns" were arrested on Thursday when they arrived at the meet up location.

All of the suspects were booked and released from the county jail in Indio.