The Super Bowl Didn't Bring Human Traffickers to California. They Were Already There.
73 people rescued, 29 alleged traffickers arrested, the record haul around Super Bowl LX looks like proof the NFL's biggest game attracts the worst criminals. But history doesn't support this.
Since the Seattle Seahawks won Super Bowl LX on February 9 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, investigators have rescued at least 73 people from alleged sex trafficking rings across the Bay Area.
Ten of them were minors.
The sweep has involved federal, state, and local agencies, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. When Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen released the final figures, he revealed that 29 alleged traffickers were in custody and called the operation a triumph of planning, organisation, and safety.
However, while these rescues are great news, they don’t actually answer the central question. Is the Super Bowl actually a beacon for organized crime, or was this the result of turning a massive spotlight on the Bay Area’s criminal operations?
For that, we need to consider who those arrested actually were.
On February 3, the week of the game, San Jose police arrested Ruben Guzman, 31, the assistant principal of Sunrise Middle School, after he allegedly arranged to meet someone he believed was a 13-year-old boy, acknowledged the child was underage, and offered money in exchange for sex. Guzman had been named a California Teacher of the Year finalist in 2024 and recognised by the San Francisco 49ers for his classroom work.
He was one of 11 men arrested in a parallel SJPD sting in which detectives posed as minors on social media and online forums. The men ranged in age from 24 to 72. None were traveling fans.
The geography of the wider operation tells the same story. Of the 73 victims recovered, 20 were found in San Mateo County, 17 in Contra Costa, and just seven in Santa Clara, the county that actually hosted the game.
