Conroe is a city of over 94,000 residents located north of Houston, in Montgomery County, Texas. Prostitution is known to be a problem in the city and generates complaints to police from residents. Among the more serious crimes that have been associated with the local commercial sex market is child sex trafficking.

Consumer level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking, and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies as a strategy for prevention and response. Conroe Police Department narcotics detectives and patrol officers have conducted many street level and web-based prostitution stings using undercover female officers posing as prostituted women (as well as male officers posing as sex buyers). The names, ages, photos, and charges filed against the sex buyers have been released by police and reported in the media.

From October 15th to October 30th, 2018, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office led a collaborative effort called “Operation Cross County” to conduct a comprehensive prostitution and human trafficking sting, in Conroe and throughout the county.  Detectives and agents from multiple agencies along with Non- Government Organizations (NGOs) worked in an undercover capacity posing as both “Johns” and “Prostitutes.” The latter was designed to identify those seeking to purchase sex from adults or juveniles, and various reports said that between 38 and 75 sex buyers were arrested (in addition to the arrest of  11 pimps and 28 prostituted women. Suspects faced a variety of charges, including prostitution, aggravated promotion of prostitution, possession of a controlled substance, weapons and narcotics.  The operation was designed to proactively address prostitution and human trafficking activity in the communities and surrounding areas of the county.  In addition to apprehending sex buyers, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office sought to find victims who may have been forced into providing illegal services through force, fraud or coercion, or minors engaged in prostitution (and thus, sex trafficking victims). Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was able to identify at least five victims who requested support services and one 16 year old juvenile was recovered as a runaway.