LAREDO, TX – A former officer of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), who was stationed at a Texas port of entry, has admitted to smuggling migrants into the country and accepting bribes to let in what he believed to be cocaine, according to officials on Monday. Emanuel Isac Celedon, 36, was an officer at the Lincoln Juarez Port of Entry in Laredo. Prosecutors have stated that Celedon informed smugglers of his assigned lane ahead …
MIAMI, FL – A teenager, who had been missing for five years, was rescued from an alleged human trafficker in Miami-Dade County on Saturday. The Miami-Dade Police Department confirmed that their Human Trafficking Squad, in collaboration with detectives, successfully rescued the 17-year-old girl and apprehended the suspect, 27-year-old Christian Manuel Carvajal. The police were led to the victim following a missing persons investigation that unveiled an online advertisement featuring the girl, who had been listed …
NEW YORK CITY, NY – Authorities announced on Friday the capture of a man, who has been on Oklahoma’s most-wanted list for human trafficking charges, after living under a false identity for over two decades. The man, known as Feng Jiang, was arrested in New York City on October 24th, in relation to a warrant issued in a human trafficking investigation led by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (OBN). Subsequent investigations revealed that Jiang had …
TAMPA, FL – Jimmie Gardner, the brother-in-law of former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, has been apprehended in Florida on allegations of human trafficking, battery, and inappropriate touching of a minor, as reported by the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit. Gardner, a youth motivational speaker, is currently detained in Hillsborough County without bond, awaiting his first court appearance in Tampa. The charges against him are severe and include human trafficking. …
MEMPHIS, TN – A significant rescue operation in Memphis, Tennessee, led by federal and local officials, resulted in the recovery of 13 children who were considered high-risk for human trafficking. The two-day mission, dubbed “Operation Not for Sale,” was a collaborative effort involving the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Memphis Police Department, and Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. The children, who were previously reported missing, were identified as particularly …
ST. LOUIS, MO – A quick-thinking hotel staff’s unusual phone call to the police led to the rescue of two women who were held captive in their rooms. The victims, aged 21 and 36, managed to seek help from the hotel employees during a brief moment of absence of their alleged captors last weekend. The women’s ordeal began with a supposed moving job in Florida, which turned into a horrifying 10-day journey. The trio of …
NEW YORK, NY – An 18-year-old woman from New York City has been liberated from a man who allegedly trafficked her for sex after meeting her online. The suspect, 33-year-old Javesh Persaud from Shirley, New York, is said to have encountered the victim on an app named Omegle in July, as reported by Suffolk County prosecutors. This app is designed to connect random individuals for conversation and video calls. The suspect is accused of exploiting …
PLEASANT HILL, CA – A respected faculty member and track coach at Diablo Valley College is facing serious charges related to pimping and human trafficking. Kyle Lee Whitmore, 39, was taken into custody on September 7 following accusations from two women who claim he forced them into prostitution. Whitmore, a tenured communication studies instructor and track coach at the college, was arrested after the first woman reported her allegations to the college authorities. The Contra …
In a tragic turn of events, a boat carrying migrants capsized in the English Channel early Sunday, resulting in the death of at least six individuals. The boat was among numerous others attempting the perilous crossing from France to England, leading French authorities to launch a large-scale rescue operation around 6 a.m. local time. Local mayor Franck Dhersin reported that several of the boats encountered significant difficulties during the crossing. The bodies of the deceased …
In a shocking case from Marion County, Florida, a couple has been apprehended and charged with human trafficking. The duo, identified as Joselito Martinez and Tanya Wurster, allegedly bailed three women out of jail, provided them with accommodation, and then coerced them into prostitution. The Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation revealed that these incidents occurred at various locations across Central Florida between 2019 and 2021. The couple reportedly forced the women into performing “commercial sex acts …