8 men from El Paso, Las Cruces arrested in DPS prostitution sting
EL PASO, Texas -- Texas Department of Public Safety officers and federal agents arrested eight men in a prostitution sting in the El Paso area last week, officials announced Monday.
The two-day operation resulted in the arrest of eight suspects from either El Paso or Las Cruces who allegedly solicited sex acts from children or adults online, DPS indicated.
The operation was part of a DPS Criminal Investigations Division effort, in conjunction with U.S. Homeland Security, targeting human trafficking.
Those arrested were booked in the El Paso County Detention Center on felony charges of solicitation of prostitution and included:
- Jabari Khalid, 28, of El Paso
- Saul Arturo Guardado, 30, of El Paso
- Larry Leyva, 39, of El Paso
- Phillip O. Carter, 34, of El Paso
- Raul Alberto Valadez, 27, of El Paso
- Jorge L. Figueroa, 50, of Las Cruces, New Mexico
- George J. Torres Jr., 26, of Las Cruces, New Mexico
- Camron Ritter, 28, of El Paso
"During the course of the hotel operations, law enforcement officers were also able to witness, intercept and charge two individuals on state human smuggling charges that resulted in the recovery of three undocumented non-citizens. The non-citizens were released to U.S. Border Patrol," DPS said in a statement.
Authorities encouraged anyone with information about human trafficking, or those who have been victimized, to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at (888) 373-7888.
