Executive Summary
- Derran Adkins sentenced to 28 years and 8 months for human trafficking.
- Defendant admitted to beating and mutilating victims aged 17 and 19.
- Sentencing follows a joint FBI, DHS, and LAPD operation in the Figueroa Corridor.
- Adkins is required to register as a sex offender for life.
A 26-year-old man was sentenced to nearly 29 years in prison following a conviction for sex trafficking a teenager and a young adult in Los Angeles, specifically within the area known as the Figueroa Corridor. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Derran Adkins, 26, received a sentence of 28 years and eight months and was ordered to register as a sex offender for life.
Court records indicate that Adkins pleaded guilty to two counts of human trafficking. During the proceedings, he admitted to physically beating a 17-year-old girl and a 19-year-old woman whom he forced into sex work. Prosecutors stated that Adkins trafficked the victims between 2024 and 2025. The District Attorney’s Office noted that Adkins enforced control through brutality; if the victims attempted to escape or questioned his authority, he would subject them to beatings and, in some instances, mutilation.
Adkins reportedly confiscated all earnings the victims generated from sex work. A restitution hearing has been scheduled for June 26. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman described the operation as a “depravity” that preyed on the vulnerable, emphasizing that the case highlights the severe consequences awaiting traffickers targeting young victims.
The sentencing occurs against the backdrop of intensified law enforcement efforts in the Figueroa Corridor, a 3.5-mile stretch historically associated with human trafficking. In 2024, a joint operation involving the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Los Angeles Police Department targeted the area between Gage Avenue and Imperial Highway. Additionally, the Department of Justice announced a 31-count indictment involving RICO charges against local operatives last year.
It is important to note that while this case has concluded with a guilty plea, the U.S. judicial system generally maintains that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Judicial and Operational Implications
This sentencing represents a significant judicial reinforcement of the multi-agency crackdown on the Figueroa Corridor. The substantial prison term of nearly three decades signals a shift toward maximizing penalties for trafficking convictions involving minors and physical violence. By securing a plea that includes admissions of specific brutality, prosecutors are establishing a firmer precedent for future cases emerging from the joint federal and local task forces operating in South Los Angeles. The outcome underscores a strategy of disrupting the “supply and demand” sides of trafficking through high-stakes prosecution following tactical law enforcement sweeps.
