City employee, nurse among 100-plus arrested in North Texas commercial sex sting, feds say

Federal authorities said Wednesday that 134 people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were arrested as part of a federal sting for commercial sex deals.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a news release that the operation from the North Texas Trafficking Task Force ran from Sept. 11 to Sept. 15 and included partners from 15 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies across four cities in the area. Paying for sex, known as solicitation of prostitution, is a felony in Texas.

The state became the first to make the act a felony violation after House Bill 1540 went into effect in 2021. Federal officials called it a substantial step toward curbing the demand for commercial sex.

Officials did not name any of the people arrested but said two were confirmed human traffickers. Others arrested included a nurse at a major medical network in Dallas, four people with access to the secure area of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, four noncitizens with final orders of removal, a pending hire with a major city police department and a prominent Dallas-Fort Worth city employee.

Authorities also said marijuana, meth, cocaine and firearms were seized in the sting and turned over to state and local law enforcement agencies.

Homeland Security Investigations Dallas Special Agent in Charge Lester Hayes Jr. said in a statement that sex trafficking and human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing enterprises in the U.S.

“Potential customers who seek commercial sex are often as culpable as those who levy violence to keep their victims entrapped,” Hayes said in a written statement.

Homeland Security Investigations asks the public to report suspected sex trafficking through its tip line at 866-347-2423. For those outside the U.S. and Canada, authorities said to call 802-872-6199.