5 Arrested Following Trafficking, Prostitution Investigation

PROVIDENCE, RI — Five people have been arrested in connection with a months-long investigation into a human trafficking and prostitution ring, Providence Police announced on Thursday. Over the past five months, detectives have been investigating as women were brought to Rhode Island and New Bedford, Massachusetts and forced to perform sexual acts.

At a news conference livestreamed by WPRI on Thursday, Major David Latapin said the women, many of whom do not speak English, were "unconfined prisoners" with "nowhere else to go."

According to Providence police, 53 1/2 Cumerford Street was used as a house for the women, where men would come to have sex with them. Investigators also searched an Ohio Avenue house, where the accused human traffickers lived, finding $114,000 in cash, ledgers and other documents pertinent to the investigation.

Mairenya Valdez, 37, and Milton Estrada, 35, both of Providence, were each charged with human trafficking: sexual servitude, human trafficking: recruit and transport for the purpose of trafficking persons, transport and facilitate for the purpose of prostitution and conspiracy.

Hector Montilla Segura, 36, of New Bedford, Carlos Lopez, 56. of Providence and Rodolfo Galvez, 66, of Providence were each charged with transport and facilitate females for the purpose of prostitution and conspiracy.

Captain Kevin Lanni, one of the lead investigators in the case, said that detectives spent months watching the area. The women were recruited from both inside and outside of the country and told they would be giving massages. Instead, when they arrived they were forced into sexual servitude, Lanni said.

Major Latapin said support services are available for the victims, and encouraged anyone else in similar situations to come forward or seek help.

"You can always get out pf it," he said. "If it's against your will, you'll get out, or we'll get you out of it."

The full news conference is available to stream from WPRI.