On October 18, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) and the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance launched a large-scale operation in Houston, rescuing more than 80 women who were reportedly victims of sex trafficking.
The authorities discovered the women confined to “deplorable conditions” inside brothels disguised as ordinary bars and nightclubs, according to reports from the National News Desk.
The establishments that TABC investigators inspected had hidden rooms that painted a grim picture. Inside, they found mattresses on the floor of cramped quarters with soiled bedding and cement floors—harrowing signs of the women’s forced confinement and daily suffering.
TABC Chairman Kevin Lilly described the scene as a “house of horrors,” with the dire conditions exacerbated by what he said was clear cartel involvement.
Lilly noted that the exploitation and mistreatment of the women was not merely the result of local trafficking networks but the work of organized crime groups, particularly cartels that exploit vulnerabilities at the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Their childhood has been stolen from them,” Lilly said. “No counseling, no treatment, can ever take away the horrors that they’ve experienced.” Lilly spoke about the systematic way the traffickers manipulated the brothels to look like regular nightspots, complete with dance floors and pool tables, concealing the dark reality in hidden back rooms where the abuse took place.
During a press conference, Lilly detailed how women in these establishments are forced into situations of repeated abuse, sometimes enduring as many as 30 incidents per day.
“They are run through an assembly line of horrific treatment and sexual abuse, some 30 times a day, from four in the afternoon until two in the morning,” he said.
The operation, dubbed “Operation Bad Traffic,” targeted nine bars in the Houston area, all suspected of involvement in human trafficking.
These establishments have since been shut down, and four individuals have been arrested on sex trafficking charges as a result.
The initiative highlighted the scale of the problem and the need for a broader response to combat trafficking networks, which often operate with the support of powerful criminal organizations.
Lilly also emphasized the role of cartels in the issue, linking their influence directly to the ongoing challenges at the southern border.
He argued for decisive action, saying, “We must close our border. An open border is madness. We’ve experienced it. I saw evidence of it. Please take the politics out. We have to act now. We have to end Catch and Release. We have to deal with the cartels. We have to declare them the enemy of our country and take action.”
His statement highlighted the way cartels exploit migrants’ financial vulnerabilities and the desperation of those crossing the border.
For families hoping to reach the United States, Lilly explained that crossing the border often comes at an extortionate cost.
Cartels demand fees as high as $25,000 per person, trapping many in debt and, for some, in forced servitude.
“No one steps across the border without the cartels involved, and that involvement is monetary,” Lilly said.
“If you are a family and you come across the border, you have to pay $10,000, $20,000, $25,000, per passenger—that’s money they don’t have. These are poor individuals, some who have walked 500 miles only to find out that they have to pay a toll that they don’t have.”
This financial toll leads many women into traffickers’ hands, where promises of legitimate work, like waitressing jobs, quickly devolve into coerced exploitation.
Lilly described the situation as a bait-and-switch tactic that ensnares vulnerable women, turning dreams of a better life into lives filled with “misery and horror” within the sex trade.
The recent operation in Houston underscores the challenges facing law enforcement and advocacy groups in combatting sex trafficking, particularly in areas heavily influenced by cartel operations.
While the rescue of 84 women in this operation brings hope for these individuals, the conditions that allowed such large-scale exploitation highlight the need for continued vigilance and stronger border enforcement.
State agencies and officials are increasingly working to dismantle human trafficking networks through initiatives like Operation Bad Traffic.
For many of those rescued, these efforts are a first step toward reclaiming their lives.
However, officials like Lilly stress that tackling the root causes—particularly cartel involvement—will require a sustained commitment from state and federal authorities, as well as a reevaluation of current policies related to border security and immigration.