By Raul Castillo
May 1, 2024, 7:02 PM EDT
Two individuals face charges for allegedly smuggling Cuban women into the United States and forcing them into prostitution in Miami-Dade. Vicenta Polanco, 30, and Luis Ariel Escalante, 24, were arrested Tuesday on charges of human trafficking and prostitution.
According to police, the accusations arose from the testimonies of two women who claimed to have been forced into prostitution by order of Polanco and Escalante. One of her victims reported that she offered to pay him to smuggle her to the United States from Cuba, telling him that she would be an exotic dancer in an adult entertainment club.
However, upon arriving, she was told that she would actually work as a prostitute, taking provocative photos to publish on websites, according to NBC News.
The second victim was also assisted in entering the United States illegally with the promise of work as an exotic dancer, but was later informed that she would also have to engage in prostitution.
Both women were forced to hand over their Cuban passports and other legal documents as collateral to force them into prostitution. They were told they would work seven days a week, serving four to five clients a day, and that they would have to pay a debt of between $10,000 and $12,000.
After the victims demanded the return of their documents, Polanco refused and told them they must pay off their debt. The women contacted police, who arrested Polanco and Escalante and found $9,000 in cash, eight cell phones, three laptops and two iPads in their apartment.
In court Wednesday, Polanco and Escalante were appointed public defenders and ordered held without bail.
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