Authorities in Palm Beach County, Florida, have apprehended two illegal immigrants in connection with the sex trafficking of a 15-year-old girl from New York City. The arrests were made following an anonymous tip received by detectives regarding a missing teen runaway believed to be a victim of a sex trafficking operation.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office revealed during a news conference that investigators utilized commercial sex ads to locate the minor and initiate communication as a strategy to rescue her. The minor was found at a Motel 6 in Riviera Beach, where she disclosed that two individuals involved in the sex trafficking were in close proximity.
According to officials, the victim was recruited in New York City and transported to Florida to engage in sex acts for monetary gain. She was reportedly coerced into performing sex acts on multiple occasions. The suspects, Yenire Karolina Pache Coleiton, a 33-year-old Colombian national, and Enyerbert Blanco, a 27-year-old Venezuelan national who had been previously deported, were arrested in connection with the crime.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw expressed dismay over Blanco's criminal history, highlighting his prior charges of attempted murder in New York and drug trafficking in Miami. Bradshaw criticized the inefficiencies in the vetting system at the border, emphasizing the recurring incidents involving crimes committed by illegal immigrants in Palm Beach County.
Bradshaw suggested that the sex trafficking case may have links to a Venezuelan gang, although investigations are ongoing. He underscored the community's outrage over the presence of individuals engaging in such heinous activities due to lax border security measures.
Coleiton and Blanco have been placed on an ICE detainer and denied bond. Sheriff Bradshaw affirmed his commitment to ensuring that the suspects remain in custody, stating that they will not be released under his supervision.
