Another arrest was reported on Tuesday in the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) case examining an alleged human trafficking ring linked to the Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua, in Nashville.
Ramon de Jesus Velasquez-Martinez was arrested on Tuesday as part of the investigation, according to WKRN, which said court documents claim a phone number tied to Velasquez-Martinez was posted on public advertisements for prostitution.
Records made public by the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) confirm that Velasquez-Martinez, 25, was arrested on Tuesday afternoon. He is currently ineligible for release due to a detainer requested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), indicating the agency considers the alleged trafficker likely to be an illegal immigrant.
Velasquez-Martinez is the ninth suspect arrested in the case after U.S. Attorney Rob McGuire announced the arrests of eight in February, and confirmed that two were connected to the Venezuelan prison gang.
According to McGuire, the suspects lured unsuspecting women to the United States from Venezuela. Once in the country, they forced the women into prostitution to pay “skyrocketing debts that no person could ever pay,” instructing them that “the only way to avoid those debts was to have sex with strangers for money.”
He also stated that the suspects used their Tren de Aragua connections in order “to intimidate the victims into continuing to commit commercial sex acts.”
The investigation began in December 2023, when TBI visited two motels in South Nashville, according to WKRN, which also reported court documents claim the women were told they must engage in prostitution to pay their traffickers’ debts as high as $30,000.
Velasquez-Martinez’s arrest was announced just weeks after a joint operation by ICE and Tennessee Highway Patrol last month saw the arrest of another Tren de Aragua member, as well as nearly 200 others accused of being in the country illegally.
Earlier this year, in January, a joint operation between TBI, the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the FBI, resulted in the arrests of five individuals who MNPD said were believed to be Venezuelan nationals at an Antioch property that was allegedly used as a brothel.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
