Three illegal immigrants are behind bars following a busted prostitution ring in Duplin County, a case that is now being investigated by federal authorities for possible human trafficking and additional charges against the pimp in the operation.

The arrests came in the wake of information received by the Duplin County Sheriff’s Office of suspicious activity at a Mount Olive home last week, Sheriff Blake Wallace said.

A search warrant was subsequently executed at 2047 Garner Chapel Road, Mount Olive, on June 17, Wallace said during a press conference Wednesday.

“We had received information of the possibility of a prostitution ring operating out of that residence,” said Wallace. He said several indicators immediately found at the home pointed to the presence of such a ring.

Deputies found two Hispanic females, identified as Guadalupe Cabrera Cervantes, 28, and Laura Edith Bautista-Huerta, 18, inside the home, and one male, Eleazar Gonez Garcia, 25, who was “in charge of the residence,” Wallace noted.

There were those three, “as well as one john,” Wallace remarked. Additionally, he said sheriff’s investigators “seized several items that only confirmed our suspicions.” Among them were “used condoms, vaginal creams and hand sanitizer” found throughout the residence, the sheriff added.

“Basically, we determined that the mode of operation was that clients would come into the house and pay $25 for 15 minutes,” said Wallace. He said the money would be given straight to Garcia, who would give the customer their pick of females in the home.

“Females were being rotated in and out,” the sheriff said. “There were as many as five to seven females at the house (at one time). We are certain money was not going to these girls, but was going to this man, Mr. Garcia.”

During the investigation, sheriff’s investigators received information that Cervantes and Bautista-Huerta had both been brought to the residence from Catawba County the day before deputies responded to the home. They may also have been held against their will, Wallace said.

“This is consistent with human trafficking,” the sheriff attested. “It’s pretty serious. If he is charged with that, that would be a mandatory 10-year sentence. This is a pretty serious issue. It’s a terrible situation.”

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is assisting the Duplin Sheriff’s Office in the joint investigation. Wallace said federal charges may be pending against Garcia, with human trafficking being one of them.

According to the U.S. Department of State, an estimated 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year. They are lured from their homes with false promises of good jobs and are, instead, coerced into prostitution, domestic servitude or other types of forced labor.

Wallace said it is “early on in this case” to determine whether that may be an issue, however federal authorities are investigating.

Garcia has already been charged with maintaining a place for prostitution. Cervantes and Bautista-Huerta have each been charged with prostitution. All three were placed in the Duplin County Jail under $10,000 secured bond for the offenses, all misdemeanors.

However, Wallace said the three will not leave the jail anytime soon.

“They are all in the country illegally,” he commented. “They also have an ICE detainer on them so they’re not going anywhere. If they leave our jail, they’re going to a federal facility.”

Chris Berendt can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 121, or by email at sicrime@myclintonnc.com.