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The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has shut down 9 separate nightclubs and bars across the Houston area after an investigation revealed that they were being used as a front for sex trafficking.
In a joint press conference with the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA), The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO), and the Houston Police Department (HPD), it was revealed that around 80 sex trafficking victims had been rescued from these criminal organizations.
TABC Enforcement Chief Ronald Swenson spoke at the press conference, where he pointed to the ongoing border crisis and rising cartel activity as factors. He pointed to the November 5th election as an opportunity to take action, saying, "We have to elect individuals who will be tough on the cartels, who will be fearless, who will be focused, who will be dedicated. We must close our border."
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez also spoke and warned Houstonians that sex trafficking is a real and present threat. He said, "For far too long, there's been those in our community that believe that this is something that's happening abroad, somewhere else in some foreign country. It's happening here in our backyard."