A 29-year-old man was arrested after agreeing to pay $200 to have sex with someone he believed was a 17-year-old girl during an undercover sting operation in Blaine.
Mario Douglas Herrera-Calero faces a felony charge of engaging in prostitution with someone the defendant reasonably believed to be under 18 in Anoka County.
According to the criminal complaint, the Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Saint Paul police, Tribes United Against Sex Trafficking, Blaine police and other agencies conducted a juvenile demand suppression operation in Blaine on Sept. 4, 2025.
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Undercover advertisements were posted on MegaPersonals and Skip the Games, websites commonly used for commercial sex solicitation, court documents said. All communications were routed through a recorded law enforcement cellular system.
Herrera-Calero responded to the ad and began texting with an undercover detective. After discussing pricing, the detective told him "im 17 is that ok." He replied, "If it's not a problem for you, it's not a problem for me," the complaint said.
The two continued negotiating and Herrera-Calero agreed to pay $200 for one hour of what the complaint describes as "full sexual services." He requested a photo to confirm the identity of the person he was soliciting and was directed to a location in Blaine where he was taken into custody by law enforcement.
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In a post-arrest statement, Herrera-Calero told law enforcement he was browsing the internet, found the ad and replied as a "joke" but was curious to see if it was real. He acknowledged the person he was chatting with told him they were 17 and that he arrived at the meeting location as agreed to exchange money for the sex act.
Herrera-Calero said he was unaware it was illegal to hire a minor for sexual acts, according to the criminal complaint. A search warrant on his phone confirmed the chat messages were on the device he was carrying when arrested.
A summons was issued for Herrera-Calero on Tuesday, March 24, and a jail booking photo is not yet available.
