Miami-Dade County police arrested a couple accused of human trafficking and sexually exploiting two women from Cuba.
According to the media Local 10 Newsthe detainees were identified as Luis Escalante and Vicenta Polanco, residents of the city of Miami.
The authorities report indicates that the arrest of Escalante, 24, and Polanco, 30, took place in the Flagami neighborhood.
The couple would have traveled to Cuba to contact the victims, offering them the opportunity to enter the United States through the illegal services of a so-called “coyote.”
The women were promised a job in an adult entertainment establishment, however, once in Florida, the Cuban women were forced into prostitution. To prevent them from escaping, the detainees confiscated their immigration documents.
The police report indicates that Polanco took intimate photographs of one of the victims to publish them on websites. The arrested woman was also in charge of receiving all the cash obtained from illegal activities.
When the victims tried to recover their documents to stop being exploited, the couple told them that they had to pay a debt of 10,000 and 12,000 dollars (USD) to receive them back, which ended up overwhelming the Cuban women.
They requested help from the authorities despite fear of being deported, which resulted in a search warrant at Escalante and Polanco’s residence.
During the operation, police seized evidence including $9,000 in cash, eight cell phones, three laptop computers and two iPads. Likewise, a white envelope containing money was found with the name of one of the victims.
Now, the detained couple faces charges of human trafficking with fines of sexual exploitation, improper retention of immigration documents and pimping.
The police continue to investigate the case to determine if there are more people involved, suspecting that it could be a possible exploitation network.
In Florida, pimping charges against these people can carry a maximum sentence of up to 15 years in prison, while forcing a person into prostitution carries up to an additional five years in prison.
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