PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Two undocumented migrants are under arrest for what the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office calls the "commercial sex trafficking" of a 15-year-old girl who was reported missing from New York state last month.
Yenire Karolina Pacheco Leiton, 33, and Enyerbert Alberto Blanco, 27, were booked into the Palm Beach County Jail at approximately 2 a.m. Saturday and are being held without bond.
Pacheco Leiton is facing 10 counts of human trafficking of a minor and one count of interference with custody, while Blanco is facing charges of interference with custody and resisting arrest without violence.
According to the suspects' arrest reports, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office received a tip on Thursday, Oct. 17 about the "commercial sex trafficking" of a 15-year-old girl.
The sheriff's office's Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit launched an investigation and found the girl was a runaway and had been reporting missing out of New York state around Sept. 12.
The unit also found photos of the girl in "open source advertisements known to facilitate the human trafficking of commercial sex workers."
According to the arrest reports, the investigation eventually uncovered that Pacheco Leiton, Blanco, and the girl were at a Motel 6, located in the 3600 block of West Blue Heron Blvd. near Riviera Beach, on Friday.
Detectives went to the motel and found the girl in one room and the suspects in another room.
The 15-year-old girl told detectives she'd had sex with "numerous men in exchange for money" and participated in at least 13 dates that led to "sexual intercourse in exchange for money." All of the men were 18 or older, the sheriff's office said.
When authorities searched the girl's two phones, they found messages with "Johns," as well as sexually explicit photographs that were posted on "open source sex ads used to traffic victims," the arrest reports stated. There were also messages between the girl and Pacheco Leiton that showed evidence of "grooming and the human commercial sex trafficking of the minor victim," the reports added.
Pacheco Leiton and Blanco were both taken into custody at the Motel 6.
On Pacheco Leiton's phone, detectives found evidence of Pacheco Leiton and the 15-year-old girl appearing on sex ads. In addition, inside Pacheco Leiton and Blanco's room, there were numerous used and unused condoms, as well as a "ledger memorializing clients and payments for 'Dates,'" the arrest reports said.
In court Saturday, a judge denied bond for Pacheco Leiton and Blanco and ordered them to have no contact with the alleged victim, as well as no contact with anyone under the age of 18 or each other.
Venezuelan gang connections?
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office held a Monday news conference to announce the arrests.
"The victim advised the trafficker would coordinate dates with men for money and direct them to the minor victim's room," Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Carlos Lisboa said.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said they are investigating if the trafficking case is connected to a Venezuelan gang, and that this is not the first something along these lines has happened in the county.
"Three Guatemalans abducted a woman, sexually assaulted her. We arrested those people. You had another Guatemalan who molested a 10-year-old," Bradshaw said. "We just had some Venezuelans that sexually assaulted a 12-year-old, and now this is the fourth one."
The sheriff said both suspects will remain in jail until their next court appearance.
The teenager is awaiting pick up from New York Social Services and will be reunited with her family.
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