Amarillo police make 27 arrests for charges related to prostitution in special operation

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Police arrested 27 people during a human trafficking and solicitation operation last week.

The APD Special Operations Division Narcotics Unit worked the operation that led to multiple arrests on charges related to prostitution.

Officials said some were arrested for additional unrelated charges.

The investigation in on-going, and officials said more arrests are expected.

Police said all suspects were interviewed to identify human trafficking victims. During the investigation, officials also sought information on whether or not those arrested knew of underage victims.

“The Amarillo Police Department recognizes that human trafficking is a very real problem in Amarillo,” wrote APD in a news release. “The victims in these cases deserve to be treated like human beings and not property.”

APD said the criminal penalty for solicitation of prostitution, first time offense, will be a state jail felony beginning September 1.

The increases the penalty from a Class B misdemeanor for the subject who offers or agrees to pay a fee to another person for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct.

Copyright 2021 KFDA. All rights reserved.