Texas authorities arrested nine people, including an El Paso attorney, following a year-long investigation led by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) into an international human trafficking ring forcing Cuban women into prostitution.
The arrests underscore how criminal networks exploit vulnerable migrants, trapping them in cycles of debt bondage and sexual exploitation.
According to DPS and HSI, investigators uncovered a sprawling operation stretching from Cuba through Central America into West Texas. Female victims were smuggled into the United States, then forced to work as prostitutes to repay their traffickers.
Mario Ortiz Saroldi, 38, represented some trafficking victims in court while allegedly soliciting them for sex. The El Paso attorney faces solicitation of prostitution charges.
Investigators also arrested Yasiel Rodriguez-Amaro, 31, and Katherine Ventura-Amaro, 37, both of El Paso. The pair face aggravated promotion of prostitution, online promotion of prostitution, and drug possession charges.
Different members of the trafficking ring handled specific roles. Some advertised victims online while others transported women to locations throughout El Paso for prostitution.
All suspects face various charges including prostitution, aggravated promotion of prostitution, and engaging in organized criminal activity. Some also face immigration and drug-related charges.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not released the names of the other six suspects or additional details about the trafficking network’s operations.
