Vice stings twice in 3 months

Costa Mesa Police arrested more than 20 people in a prostitution

sting this month on Harbor Boulevard near the San Diego Freeway

(405).

In the second sting in three months, undercover officers posing as

prostitutes on Sept. 9 were solicited by men who offered money, and

in one case, drugs, for various sex acts, police said.

Since the beginning of summer, detectives have made more than 120

arrests for prostitution-related violations along Harbor Boulevard,

said Sgt. Bob Ciszek.

Groups of female prostitutes work in circuits, traveling from city

to city, Ciszek said.

“They’ll hit one area and then they’ll hit another,” he said.

To enforce prostitution laws, police conduct operations to arrest

prostitutes and their customers, johns.

“There’s two ways to attack it,” Ciszek said.

Detective teams routinely arrest prostitutes by posing as johns

soliciting sex, Ciszek said. This time, undercover officers played

the role of the prostitute, arresting anyone who attempted to trade

money for sex. Additionally, police also arrested several women who

were working as prostitutes that night.

The area around Harbor Boulevard and the 405 Freeway is notorious

for prostitution, Ciszek said.

“As long as I’ve been working, 21 years, that’s where they work,”

Ciszek said.

Prostitution has been a recurring problem in this section of the

city and one that demands close attention from police.

“It’s been a constant problem,” said Sgt. Marty Carver. “It

requires routine maintenance in order to keep it under control.”

Soliciting prostitution is a misdemeanor offense, but the women

who work the circuit seem willing to risk the penalty, he said.

“The amount of money they’re making doing this, it’s still more

lucrative than doing other things for minimum wage,” Carver said.

Though recent police operations have resulted in numerous arrests,

prostitution within the city has not dramatically increased, Ciszek

said.

Costa Mesa police arrested the following people on suspicion of

soliciting prostitution or loitering to solicit prostitution: Ayman

Matta, 30, Ontario; Lorenzo Morales, 45, Santa Ana; Teddy Tran, 39,

Garden Grove; Donald Andelin, 49, Peoria, Ariz.; Ramiro Romero, 40,

Costa Mesa; Jose Vargas, 29, Santa Ana; Staish Ramalingam, 41,

Irvine; Devon Harvey, 44, Tustin; Geoffrey Odhiambo, 23, Fullerton;

Joel Gonzalez, 21, Costa Mesa; Elias Pastrana, 31, Anaheim; Adrian

Rodriguez, 25, Long Beach; Francisco Magana, 21, Anaheim; Jeremy

Preall, 33, Huntington Beach; Cristian Flores, 19, Santa Ana; Peter

Tanibata, 43, Fountain Valley; Leonardo Contreras, 21, Costa Mesa;

Oscar Contreras, 22, Costa Mesa; Uriel Pedroza, 18, Costa Mesa;

Nicole Lever, 21, Phoenix; Andrea Bonin, 20, Mesa, Ariz.; juvenile,

name withheld.