A 26-year-old man has been sentenced to nearly 29 years in prison for sex trafficking a teen and young adult in Los Angeles’ Figueroa Corridor.

Derran Adkins, 26, pleaded guilty to two counts of human trafficking and admitted to beating the 17-year-old girl and the 19-year-old young woman he forced into sex work, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

In addition to the 28 years and eight months in prison, the court required Adkins to register as a sex offender for life. 

“The depravity of sex traffickers who prey on the most vulnerable in our community, including children, knows no bounds,” LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said. “This case underscores that there will be dire consequences for sex traffickers under my watch, especially traffickers who brutally torment their vulnerable young victims.”

Prosecutors said Adkins trafficked the two young women between 2024 and 2025. If they tried to escape or questioned him in any way, Adkins would brutally beat the victims and would sometimes mutilate their bodies, according to the LA County District Attorney’s Office. 

He kept all of the earnings the young women received from sex work. Prosecutors said there will be a restitution hearing on June 26.   

“Sex trafficking is a multi-billion-dollar business of exploitation that must be destroyed on both the supply and demand side,” Hochman said.

The Figueroa Corridor has been a target for law enforcement after a long history of being a hotspot for human trafficking. In 2024, the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Los Angeles Police Department launched a joint operation focused on the 3.5-mile stretch of Figueroa Street between Gage Avenue and Imperial Highway.

Last year, the Department of Justice announced a 31-count indictment which included RICO charges against members of a South LA. 

“For those operating in the sex trafficking industry in Los Angeles County, know this: Your prosecution is next,” Hochman said.

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If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call your local law enforcement or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233-733 (BE FREE).

LA County DA’s Bureau of Victim Services is available to assist victims with trauma-informed services at 1-800-380-3811.

For more resources, visit: da.lacounty.gov/victims/human-trafficking-resources.

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