An undercover sting operation in Lake Worth combating human trafficking resulted in dozens of arrests, police say.
"We used undercover police officers posing as escorts or prostitutes, and they were engaged by people online," Lake Worth police Chief J.T. Manoushagian said. "And when they showed up at the agreed upon place, they were arrested."
Forty-two people were arrested over the course of two days last week as part of Operation April Fools.
"Those arrested came from all walks of life," Manoushagian said. "It included many races, ethnicities, ages, and even genders."
And some had outstanding warrants.
"Those charges included aggravated sexual assault of a child, solicitation of a minor, aggravated assault on a police officer, accident involving serious bodily injury, and two parole violations were also found," he said.
All 42 suspects were charged with solicitation of prostitution, a state jail felony carrying up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Police recovered contraband during last week's operation.
"Over the two-day operation, three handguns, one assault rifle, more than four pounds of drugs, approximately $15,000 in cash, and six fraudulent license plates were recovered," Manoushagian said.
While all of the suspects were from North Texas, none were from Lake Worth.
"Human trafficking is a problem everywhere, whether we can see it or not," Manoushagian said. "And given our close proximity to the border, it's an even bigger problem here in Texas than elsewhere in the country."
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Tell your Smart Speaker to "PLAY 1080 KRLD"
Sign Up to receive our KRLD Insider Newsletter for more news