NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Federal prosecutors have charged 11 Venezuelan and Colombian nationals — 10 of whom the Justice Department says are currently unlawfully present in the United States — in a sweeping, multi-state criminal case alleging the defendants trafficked a minor and an adult woman for sex while also dealing drugs and illegally trafficking firearms, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Ten of the defendants were arrested Tuesday during coordinated law enforcement operations in Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina and Florida, while one remains at large. Prosecutors said 10 of the 11 defendants are currently in the United States illegally.
A 30-count federal indictment, returned June 11 and unsealed Tuesday, alleges four defendants conspired between July and August 2025 to sex traffic a minor and an adult woman. The Justice Department’s announcement appears to contain conflicting references to the minor’s age, describing the alleged victim as 17 in one section and 14 in a quote from the U.S. attorney.
DHS HAS ONLY 7 CHILD EXPLOITATION ANALYSTS, HAWLEY MEASURE WOULD FUND 200 INVESTIGATORS
According to the Justice Department, the defendants traveled across state lines to promote prostitution and created online commercial sex advertisements in the central Ohio area.
Beyond the alleged sex trafficking scheme, prosecutors say members of the group also sold ecstasy and trafficked firearms, including at least nine guns. Some defendants are additionally accused of illegally possessing firearms while in the country.
“These defendants — ten of whom are currently illegally present in this country — allegedly engaged in a panoply of illicit trafficking activity, from drugs to firearms to human beings,” U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II said. “We have no tolerance for anybody who commits such crimes in our communities, and we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”
KASH PATEL TOUTS FBI ‘FULL-THROTTLE MISSION’ AFTER OPERATION SPRING CLEANING YIELDS 615 INDICTMENTS/COMPLAINTS
The charges stem from an investigation led by a Homeland Security Task Force.
“We will continue to work hard to keep Ohio safe and get narcotics, firearms, and violent criminals off the streets,” FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie said.
Acting Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey said the indictment demonstrates the task force’s commitment to protecting communities from transnational criminal organizations accused of exploiting vulnerable victims while trafficking drugs and firearms.
BIDEN JUDGE OVERRULED ON KEY TRUMP IMMIGRATION POLICY
Among those charged are six defendants living in Ohio. They include Venezuelan nationals Jean Pierre Alejandro Guillen Salcedo, 30, and Taidin Adreina Ferrer Guillen, 34, both of Hilliard; Venezuelan nationals Pedro Angel Colls-Flores, 34, and Alismar Daniela Contreras-Arevalo, 20, both of Columbus; and Colombian nationals Briyi Daniela Ordonez-Iter, 21, of Hilliard, and Julian David Patino Pena, 33, of Columbus.
Two additional defendants are Venezuelan nationals living in Tennessee: John Alexandre Fajardo-Ulzcategui, 27, and Jose Ruben Sanchez-Pena, 34, both of Smyrna.
The remaining defendants are Venezuelan national Keivar Elian Guillen Salcedo, 26, of Charlotte, North Carolina; Venezuelan national Therry Brayant Leon Gavida, 34, of Jacksonville, Florida; and Venezuelan national Dervin Alejandro Colmenares Quintero, 29, whose residence is listed as Mexico.
The Justice Department said the case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The initiative is intended to target transnational criminal organizations, foreign gangs, human trafficking networks and violent criminal aliens operating in the United States.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
An indictment contains allegations only. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Justice Department seeking clarification about an apparent discrepancy in its announcement regarding the age of one of the alleged trafficking victims and will update this story if a response is received.
Read the full article here