Federal prosecutors have indicted 11 Venezuelan and Colombian nationals on charges including sex trafficking of a minor and an adult, drug trafficking, and illegal firearms trafficking across multiple states. Ten of the defendants were arrested Tuesday, while one remains at large. The Justice Department stated that 10 of the 11 defendants are currently in the United States unlawfully.
The 30-count indictment, unsealed Tuesday, alleges that four defendants conspired between July and August 2025 to sex traffic a minor and an adult woman. The announcement from the Justice Department contained conflicting information regarding the age of the alleged minor victim, referencing the individual as both 17 years old and 14 years old in different sections.
According to the Justice Department, the defendants allegedly traveled across state lines to facilitate prostitution and created online advertisements for commercial sex in the central Ohio area. In addition to the alleged sex trafficking activities, prosecutors claim members of the group also sold ecstasy and trafficked firearms, including at least nine guns. Some defendants are also accused of illegally possessing firearms while in the country.
"These defendants — ten of whom are currently illegally present in this country — allegedly engaged in a panoply of illicit trafficking activity, from drugs to firearms to human beings," said U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II. "We have no tolerance for anybody who commits such crimes in our communities, and we will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law."
The investigation was led by a Homeland Security Task Force. "We will continue to work hard to keep Ohio safe and get narcotics, firearms, and violent criminals off the streets," stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie. Acting Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit Special Agent in Charge Jared Murphey added that the indictment demonstrates the task force's commitment to protecting communities from transnational criminal organizations that exploit vulnerable victims while trafficking drugs and firearms.
Among the defendants charged are six individuals residing in Ohio: Venezuelan nationals Jean Pierre Alejandro Guillen Salcedo, 30, and Taidin Adreina Ferrer Guillen, 34, both of Hilliard; Venezuelan nationals Pedro Angel Colls-Flores, 34, and Alismar Daniela Contreras-Arevalo, 20, both of Columbus; and Colombian nationals Briyi Daniela Ordonez-Iter, 21, of Hilliard, and Julian David Patino Pena, 33, of Columbus.
Two additional defendants are Venezuelan nationals living in Tennessee: John Alexandre Fajardo-Ulzcategui, 27, and Jose Ruben Sanchez-Pena, 34, both of Smyrna.
The remaining defendants include Venezuelan national Keivar Elian Guillen Salcedo, 26, of Charlotte, North Carolina; Venezuelan national Therry Brayant Leon Gavida, 34, of Jacksonville, Florida; and Venezuelan national Dervin Alejandro Colmenares Quintero, 29, whose listed residence is in Mexico.
The Justice Department noted that this case is part of an initiative established under President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14159, aimed at targeting transnational criminal organizations, foreign gangs, human trafficking networks, and violent criminal aliens operating in the United States.
An indictment contains allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Fox News Digital has sought clarification from the Justice Department regarding the discrepancy in the alleged victim's age and will update the story upon receiving a response.