Image Credit: Nashville.gov & Canva
The Tennessee Conservative [By Paula Gomes] –
A raid on a home turned brothel in the Nashville area led to five Hispanic men being arrested in a multi-agency investigation.
All five, who are in the U.S. illegally, remain in custody due to an ICE detainer, otherwise known as an immigration hold.
Don Aaron, spokesman for MNPD, told NewsChannel 5 that the men were believed to be of Venezuelan origin.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Director David Rausch spoke on Senator Marsha Blackburn’s podcast last month to provide information on the background of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua (TDA) and how they have established a presence in Tennessee.
TDA is known for its involvement in human trafficking when first gaining a presence in another country, and then expanding into drug trafficking and theft.
The Department of Homeland Security, along with TBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) executed a federal search warrant on the property located at 2330 Hobson Pike in Antioch on Wednesday at 6 a.m. in the morning in the joint operation.
During the search, investigators found that the upstairs level of the house had been divided into several small spaces that were clearly being used for prostitution purposes. Business cards and ledgers associated with the promotion of prostitution were seized from the property, along with more than a pound of marijuana.
A Homeland Security human trafficking investigation begun a year ago, with regard to the house, is part of a larger operation that includes other locations.
According to MNPD, this brothel is connected to one on Bart Drive, and another on Mt. View Road. The Bart Drive location was the site of a triple homicide last September related to a Hispanic prostitution operation.
The victims found at the Bart Drive property were all Hispanic men, identified as 22-year-old Jesus Gallardo-Ramirez, 48-year-old Antonio Munoz-Rizo, and 28-year-old Jesus Manuel Munoz-Morales. All had connections to the Atlanta area.
When officers and agents showed up at the five-acre Hobson Pike property yesterday, multiple suspects made a run for it, leading to Hobson Pike being closed while authorities searched for the men, who were all ultimately apprehended.
The five men taken into custody will face various charges. They have been identified as 27-year-old Elmer Huberto Aparicio-Castillo, 31-year-old Gianfranco Augusto Barazarte-Morales, 37-year-old Wilfredo Jose Mata-Fornerino, 27-year-old Felix Rafael Ortega, and 22-year-old Idenis Alexander Sanchez-Paredes.
Aparicio-Castillo is being charged with promoting prostitution, evading arrest, felony gun possession, and felony marijuana possession. A specially trained ATF dog found a semi-automatic pistol in the brush – which Aparicio-Castillo later admitted was his – where he was found before being taken into custody.
Mata-Fornerino is being charged with evading arrest, felony marijuana possession, and promoting prostitution.
Ortega is charged with promoting prostitution, evading arrest, felony marijuana possession, as well as felony possession of “Tusi” which is a combination of several drugs including cocaine, ecstasy, and fentanyl.
Sanchez-Paredes is charged with criminal impersonation, along with evading arrest, promoting prostitution and felony marijuana possession.
One individual in the group – Barazarte-Morales – was also wanted in connection to a non-critical shooting at 6166 Mt. View Road that occurred last September. He is facing two counts of felony aggravated assault, felony reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon, and use of a gun in the commission of a dangerous felony in addition to promoting prostitution, felony marijuana possession, and evading arrest.
Nearby residents expressed concern over the raid knowing that it was related to human trafficking. Neighbors say many women and children live close to the home in question.
The investigation remains ongoing at the federal level as authorities continue to make connections between the three brothels, the only three known to have been in existence in the area so far.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
4 Responses
Nashville’s dimmercrap darlings.
Thank you feckless Obiden for flying these criminals into Chattanooga airport to spread over our state. Jan 20th can’t come quick enough.
Thank you MNPD for apprehending these illegals and holding for ICE.
Is Nashville a Sanctuary City? Are they going to help ICE or oppose ICE? If they are going to oppose ICE, let them deal with Dangerous Illegals themselves. Help the Cities and Counties that will assist ICE. I suspect Nashville will keep this quiet and that the Nashville papers won’t report it.
As long as “law enforcement” keeps classifying Hispanics and central american illegals as “White/male” like they often do and did here, the crime statistics will stay skewed.