San Antonio, TX — Yuribetzi del Valle Gomez Machuca, a Venezuelan national, was arrested on Tuesday morning in San Antonio in connection to a multi-state sex trafficking ring. She was one of eight individuals indicted in the case. Law enforcement claims the trafficking operation lured vulnerable South American women to the U.S. with promises of a better life, only to force them into prostitution once they arrived.
Gomez Machuca, who is accused of being an enforcer for the operation, was indicted alongside seven others for their role in trafficking women, including transporting one victim from San Antonio to Nashville. According to the indictment, Gomez Machuca told the victim she had to work off a $30,000 debt through forced prostitution. She allegedly monitored the women at Nashville hotels to prevent them from escaping.
Gomez Machuca appeared in federal court, requesting her criminal case be transferred to San Antonio, where her family resides, but she will first be taken to Nashville to face charges. She is accused of racketeering, sex trafficking, and prostitution. If convicted, she faces a possible life sentence.
Two other individuals connected to the operation are said to have used their ties to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to intimidate victims into submission, further exacerbating the severity of the crime.
