HOUSTON – Nine Houston area businesses had their liquor licenses suspended due to human trafficking and other crimes, according to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
TABC, along with the Houston Police Department, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, and other local, state, and federal agencies, worked together to investigate multiple businesses in Houston for crimes related to human trafficking and other crimes.
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“This operation’s success is the result of careful investigation, undercover work, and coordination between TABC and our partners in the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance,” TABC Chairman Kevin J. Lilly said. “Human trafficking is a stain on our society, and it’s unfortunately more prevalent than most Texans realize. I couldn’t be prouder of our peace officers for their diligence, their willingness to work across agency lines, and their commitment to putting the safety of the victims first. All of us within the Texas law enforcement community are committed to keeping our fellow Texans safe, as well as protecting anyone who’s been victimized by human traffickers, I believe the men and women of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance are an incredible credit to their agencies and all of Texas.”
The locations’ TABC licenses were suspended as outlined in Section 11.614 of the Alcoholic Beverage Code, which authorizes the agency to suspend a business’s liquor license for up to 90 days if the commission determines “that the continued operation of a permitted or licensed business would constitute a continuing threat to public welfare.”
Licenses and permits suspended during the Oct. 18 operation include:
- El Flamingo Club, 3715 Aldine Mail Route
- Koko Bongo, 955 Federal Road
- Los Escorpiones #2, 1636 Federal Road
- Los Escorpiones #5, 2815 Luell St.
- El Cruzero Sports Bar, 7715 W. Hardy Road
- Bora Bora Sports Bar, 11028 Aldine Westfield Road
- El Rinconcito Night Club, 743 Freeport St.
- La Condesa, 8810 Jensen Drive
- Las Margaritas Night Club, 210 E. Little York Road
No alcohol may be served or sold at the locations while the businesses’ TABC licenses/permits are suspended.
The case remains under investigation by TABC, the Houston Police Department, and other members of HTRA.
Sex trafficking in Harris County
We know from work by the KPRC 2 Investigates team that the Bissonet track is well-known around the country. Houston police cracked down on that track last year by literally shutting down the streets with historically high rates of sex trade activity.
The Department of Justice declared Houston one of the most intense areas for sex trafficking in the entire country, according to the Houston Police Department. The reasons:
- We’re close to the US-Mexico border
- We’ve got a major international airport, seaport and interstates I-10 and I-45
- Our population is expanding
- The labor sector is diverse
- Houston is a popular destination for runaways
The Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance Task Force (HTRA) brings together law enforcement and non-governmental agencies and organizations to combat human trafficking in the Greater Houston Metro area.
There’s a national hotline you can call or text if you or someone you know is being trafficked: 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.
In 2023, that hotline took 2,373 calls from Texas and reported that 583 of them were from victims or survivors of human trafficking. Those numbers include sex trafficking and labor trafficking.
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