Miami-Dade crackdown on human trafficking leads to eight arrests, victim rescued

A woman beaten and trafficked across nine U.S. cities and an undercover sting operation that took down a “pimp” and several prostitutes was at the core of a slew of human trafficking-related arrests announced Tuesday afternoon by Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.

“We are organized, and we are ready to pounce on anybody that is going to exploit our vulnerable folks,” Rundle said during a press conference. “We talk about human trafficking, what we call modern day slavery, and that it is a scourge on our and many other communities throughout the country.”

Saturday’s arrests Darrell Robertson’s and Eu’shunn Thomas were the first discussed. Around midnight Saturday, a woman frantically called 911 from Parkway Inn, a Miami Springs hotel, according to an arrest report and Rundle.

A Miami Springs police officer quickly went to her and picked up on signs that she’d been a victim of human trafficking, owing in part his training with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force.

With her 2-year-old daughter lying on the motel bed, the unidentified 20-year-old woman told the officer she was beaten by her “pimp,” Robertson, and moved around eight other U.S. cities, including New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., with the aid of Thomas who worked in tandem handling finances and overseeing his prostitutes, authorities said.

The officer called the human trafficking task force, and an investigation quickly began. She was taken to a Human Trafficking Center, which the state attorney’s office operates and offers a safe place for victims to eat, shower and decompress from their experiences.

Authorities learned she and Robertson are from Texas, Thomas from Louisiana, and Miami was the latest place she was forced to prostitute after eight months of being moved around the country on “paid sex dates”. On this trip, the 20-year-old arrived to Miami about a week ago with 2-year-old daughter.

The little girl was watched by Robertson while her mother went through her clients. He set a $1,000 a night quota, which would mean an average of 8 to 10 male clients she had to have sex with. Some of the meets would be in cars and short-term motel rentals, and Robertson or Thomas would always be in the area watching her.

Robertson would often beat the woman when she said she didn’t want to prostitute anymore, forcing her to continue, which happened again on Saturday. The 20-year-old was also drugged with Adderall to keep her awake during these sexual encounters.

“This occurred throughout their entire relationship, especially when she would plead and object to continuing to go out on these dates,” Rundle said.

Robertson and Thomas were arrested and still remain in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Tuesday night, according to jail records. Thomas is charged with human trafficking, while Robertson is charged with human trafficking, transporting a person from out of state into the state for human trafficking, branding in relation to human trafficking, deriving support from proceeds of prostitution, and battery.

“Here in Miami Springs, we have 22 hotels and a lot of our calls for service are at these hotels,” said Miami Springs Police Chief Matthew Castillo, noting his officers are trained to look for details that could potentially lead to a human trafficking case.

“These people are really evil. They’re trafficking people. They’re treating them less than animals. They’re branding them,” he said. “Whenever you have a tip, please reach out to the Human Trafficking Task Force and we will investigate it.”

Operation Sanctuary Shield

The City of Coral Gables was a pseudo-testing ground Thursday for a new type of undercover operation aimed at rescuing victims of human trafficking while also combating the issue. Several law enforcement agencies partnered to arrest six people involved in prostitution.

“You can’t always say, ‘We’re just going to go after the pimps, the demands, ‘Johns’ and prostitution,’” Rundle said. “It has to be the whole facet of all of that creates this multi-billion dollar industry where they exploit our victims.”

Authorities identified two websites, one of which is still active online, that is used for escort services and are “well known as fronts for prostitution and victims of human trafficking,” an arrest report read.

Five woman — Yoaris Delgado, Karen Guerra Ramos, Leyerlyn Perales Lombano, Odette Adul Martinez and Franyelin Toledo — were reached out to and agreed to meet with an undercover officer. Once they arrived at an undisclosed hotel and exchanged cash for sex or a “full body massage,” officers swarmed their rooms and arrested them.

One man, Jean Frank Canizales, brought one of the woman to the hotel and waited outside the room during the money exchange. Their arrest reports also allege they left a child unaccompanied, but it is unclear if the minor was in the area of the hotel or somewhere else.

Four of the women were charged with engaging in prostitution, one of whom was additionally charged with child neglect with no great bodily harm. The fifth woman was charged with practicing without a massage license. Canizales was charged with direct another person to a place for prostitution, derive support from proceeds of prostitution and child neglect with no great bodily harm.

“Traffickers, be aware…We will catch the people that are profiting the most from the souls of these people that they are exploiting,” said Coral Gables Police Chief Ed Hudack.

Authorities urge anyone who is or knows someone being trafficked, to text or call 305-349-7867, a human trafficking hotline open 24 hours 7 days a week.