HOUSTON – The permits of nine Houston-area bars and nightclubs have been temporarily suspended over allegations of human trafficking and promoting prostitution in hidden rooms with “deplorable” conditions, authorities announced Thursday.
Local, state, and federal officials staged simultaneous raids of the establishments on Oct. 18, finding evidence of what they say are illegal operations. Four people, whom authorities declined to immediately identify, were arrested, and more than 80 women were identified as possible survivors of human trafficking, said Ron Swenson, chief of law enforcement for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC). Swenson added that the survivors are receiving services, like counseling, from both federal officials and non-governmental organizations.
Authorities found hidden rooms within the establishments, said TABC Chairman Kevin Lilly, who called the conditions “deplorable” and “horrific.”
“They look on the outside like a regular bar or nightclub, with a bar, dance floor, and pool tables. But behind them is a labyrinth of hidden rooms, cement floors, closet-sized with soiled mattresses,” Lilly said. “An actual house of horrors, hiding within the trap doors and secret doors of these establishments.”
Lilly said the operation reflected his agency’s broader mission of “cutting off the lifeline for the cartels and the traffickers and the venues where these heinous crimes occur,” though he and other officials at Thursday’s press conference declined to name the cartels they believe operated out of the bars and restaurants raided.
“These young women are run through an assembly line of horrific treatment and sexual abuse, some 30 times a day from four in the afternoon to two in the morning,” Lilly said.
The permits of the nine establishments, all of which are on the east and northeast sides of Harris County, will be suspended for 90 days while officials continue their investigation. State law allows the TABC to issue an emergency order without a hearing if it believes the continued operation of a licensed business would “constitute a continuing threat to the public welfare.”
The Oct. 18 operation, dubbed “Bad Traffic,” was conducted by the TABC and the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA) of the Southern District of Texas. Created in 2004, the Department of Justice-funded alliance is a collaborative effort between local, state, and federal officials to combat human trafficking. Officials say hundreds of survivors have been assisted since its inception.
A 2016 University of Texas report estimated that 300,000 people in Texas, including 80,000 children, are victims of human trafficking.
Rachel Wellington, TABC victim services coordinator, said a team of professionals from YMCA International and area law enforcement agencies were on hand during the raids to provide support to the women they encountered.
“We know it may take time for them to ask for help, but when they do we’re ready with safe shelter, basic needs, mental health and medical care,” Wellington said.
Near the end of Thursday’s press conference, held at the Houston Police Department’s Midwest patrol station on the city’s southwest side, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez gave a warning to criminal organizations that engage in human trafficking:
“We’re coming after you.”
The bars and restaurants that have had their business licenses suspended are:
El Flamingo Club, 3715 Aldine Mail Rt.
Bora Bora Sports Bar, 11028 Aldine Westfield Rd.
Las Margaritas Night Club, 210 E. Little York Rd.
El Cruzero Sports Bar, 7715 W. Hardy
La Condesa, 8810 Jensen Dr.
Los Escorpiones #2, 1636 Federal Rd.
Los Escorpiones #5, 2815 Luell St.
El Rinconcito Night Club, 743 Freeport St.
Koko Bongo, 955 Federal Rd.
–Houston Landing