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Six men arrested in human trafficking sting in San Luis Obispo County

February 6, 2026

Esteban Ceja

By KAREN VELIE

As part of a human traffic sting in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, law enforcement arrested one man for human trafficking and five men for arranging to meet with a girl under 15 years old for sex in late January. Officers rescued three women, one of whom was underage.

San Luis Obispo County law enforcement arrested 30-year-old Esteban Ceja – an undocumented immigrant who was deported from the United States in 2018 and 2020 – for sexual trafficking of a victim using force and fear. He is also charged with two felony counts of pimping, two felony counts of pandering and one count of providing false identification.

Arrested for arranging to meet with a minor for sex in San Luis Obispo County:

  • Gael Pita-Abarca – an 18-year-old recent Morro Bay High School graduate
  • Stephan Mueller – a 62-year-olf man
  • Singh Ashvir – a 22-year-old Cal Poly student

Arrested for arranging to meet with a minor for sex in Santa Barbara County:

  • Gonzalo Luna-Penafort – a 22-year-old man
  • Arturo Delon –a 39-year-old man

Law enforcement also rescued three female sex trafficking victims, two adults and one juvenile.

“Prostitution demand fuels a lucrative market that traffickers exploit with victims—including children—even here,” said District Attorney Dan Dow. “Our local anti-trafficking operations target this commercial sex demand to curb daily exploitation of minors and adults. Warning to sex buyers: reconsider, as your actions heighten risks for ~300,000 American children annually. You can and will be prosecuted if caught.”

 


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Fantastic. Wire up these guys and crank up the voltage. Do it before Trump calls them patriots. Because if anybody in this forum is disgusted be these guys-they will flip a u-turn if Trump showers the Epstein level creeps with praise.

Too bad Kristin Leavitt doesn’t live in the area. Would love to hear her make excuses and blame the teenage girls for getting kidnapped by these bums.


-1

What? An illegal alien deported twice previously for the same crime in our own backyard? Thank you Democrats! This country’s in such a mess.


18

What? A president elected by you is a pedophile who protects other pedophiles?

Seems like you would be ok with it.


-18

Funny how you spout 47 is a pedophile and protects pedophiles which is such a baseless claim. He’s never been indicted nor formally accused of pedophilia, just a LAME radical left talking point attack that very few on the far left even believe.


You know damn well its the dems fault this P.O.S. illegal immigrant was back in our country committing these heinous crimes.


Go ahead and divert from the fault of the left by spewing “He’s a pedophile and protects pedophiles”. You’re a joke in the majority of American’s eyes!!!!!


0

The guy returned twice during Trumps chaotic fake leadership while President. Trump obviously DIDN’T have ANYTHING to do with the guy coming back. But if this happened during Bidens Presidency this forum would be blaming him.

I am thrilled with Trumps tough on crime agenda. It’s too bad he is so dysfunctional and chaotic.

Obama and Clinton were the toughest on immigration. Look it up.


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