A massive sex sting led to 30 arrests and multiple contraband seizures in Dallas.
The Dallas Police Department revealed that its Dallas Police Special Investigations Division, Northwest Prostitution Task Force, and Gang Unit collaborated in an undercover operation on March 6 targeting sex buyers.
DPD officers arrested a total of 30 suspects ranging in age from 19 to 64 years old for allegedly soliciting sex from a prostitute. They also seized over $70,000 in cash, four handguns, two vehicles, and various drugs.
The individuals booked on soliciting charges alone include:
- 19-year-old Ivan Rodriguez
- 36-year-old Jorge Garcia-Mendez
- 49-year-old Eduardo Barrientos Aguilar
- 31-year-old Sergio Gonzalez Leon
- 64-year-old Richard Humphrey
- 45-year-old Ernesto Mercado Mendoza
- 32-year-old Marlin Gonzalez Alonzo
- 29-year-old Basit Mohammad
- 34-year-old Clarence Moore
- 41-year-old Wilmer Lopez
- 61-year-old Jesus Valdivia Pizarro
- 27-year-old Erick Gomez Garcia
- 42-year-old Saul Ramirez
- 38-year-old Tommi Pagoaga Rodriguez
- 54-year-old Rafael Martin
- 30-year-old Eber Maldonado Najera
- 53-year-old Tluang Nawl
- 21-year-old Sibtain Vasaya
- 29-year-old Ublester Luvino-Reyes
- 56-year-old Brett Wahl
- 38-year-old Larmie Keys
- 30-year-old Daniel Taylor
- 35-year-old Abbas Salman
- 26-year-old Lenin Rondon-Blanco
- 28-year-old Gregorio Solis-Ramirez
- 19-year-old Elian Ramirez
Those arrested on charges of solicitation of prostitution and more include:
- 32-year-old Christopher Daniels English — Class C arrest for window tint and handgun possession
- 27-year-old Felix Brown — manufacture/delivery of a controlled substance, unlawful carry of a weapon, warrant for criminal trespass
- 33-year-old Erik Garcia — warrant for forgery of a financial instrument
- 54-year-old Bruce Jones — unlawful carry of a weapon
The latest bust highlights how Northwest Dallas has become ground zero for street prostitution, which DPD has been struggling to control amid a significant staffing shortage, as previously covered by The Dallas Express. The department fields around 3,000 officers despite a City report recommending closer to 4,000 to ensure public safety. With City officials budgeting DPD just $654 million for the fiscal year, which is significantly less than other high-crime jurisdictions, this deficit will likely persist.
Nonetheless, DPD has launched a new approach in which female officers are working undercover to lure in sex solicitors.
“Buyer beware, we want to make it as uncomfortable as possible as we can for individuals who go into that area and affect our businesses and our community in a way not positive for our city,” said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia, according to WFAA.
While business owners have expressed relief at such operations, they stressed that they are only a start given the magnitude of the problem.
“It’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and it never stops, and it’s constant,” Brandie Cox, who owns a veterinarian business off Harry Hines, told WFAA.
“It’s embarrassing as a business owner, and it’s a safety issue for us, but we are also concerned about these girls. They are getting younger and younger, and there is a lot of violence towards them as well,” added Cox.
Sex trafficking often accompanies prostitution, with a needs assessment report conducted by the University of Texas at Dallas suggesting that the Dallas area is second only to Houston in this illicit activity, as covered by The Dallas Express. Globally, sex trafficking brings in an estimated $150 billion each year.
As of March 7, a total of 77 prostitution-related crimes and 12 human trafficking offenses had been logged in Dallas in 2024, according to the City’s crime analytics dashboard. The overwhelming majority of both crimes had occurred in Council Member Omar Narvaez’s District 6.
