Arrested in Miami accused of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of two Cuban women

A Cuban couple were arrested in Miami accused of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of two women who were allegedly helped to reach the United States and once there were forced into prostitution.

Vicenta Polanco, 30, and Luis Ariel Escalante, 24, were arrested on Tuesday and appeared in court, where they were ordered held without bail.

According to the arrest report, one victim reported that the two visited her in Cuba and They offered to take her to the United States across the border, and then they would give her a job as an exotic dancer. in an adult club.

Upon arriving at her destination, they told her that she would actually work as a prostitute and took provocative photos of her to promote her on prostitution websites.

The second victim suffered a similar deception.

Once they both crossed the border, Vicenta and Luis Ariel took away their identification documents and passports, claiming that they had to "safeguard" them while they managed their legal immigration process, and promised to provide them with assistance with legal representation.

The truth is passports and documents were the couple's guarantee to force them into prostitution.

According to the police report, the women were forced into prostitution through advertisements on the Internet, and They would not be free until they paid off a debt of between $10,000 and $12,000.

They worked every day a week, serving four to five clients a day. in the apartment where they were allowed to live. Sometimes they took them on dates.

Luis Ariel was the one who collected the money to the clients.

On Monday, the two women went to his apartment and demanded that he and Vicenta return their documents, but they refused.

Then, the victims decided to file a complaint with the Police, who began an investigation.

Detectives searched the suspects' apartment and found $9,000, eight cell phones, three laptops, two iPads and an envelope with money with the name of one of the victims written on it.

Vicenta and Luis Ariel were arrested and They face charges of human trafficking, deriving income from prostitution and other serious accusations.

The identities of the two Cuban women remain protected.