SAN ANTONIO, TX – Edson Jose Contreras-Torrealba, 34, a Venezuelan national, will spend the next decade in federal prison after being sentenced for running a brutal sex trafficking operation in San Antonio. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas announced the sentence today, along with charges of being an alien in possession of a firearm. This wasn’t just exploitation; it was calculated control and financial ruin inflicted upon vulnerable women.
According to court documents, Contreras-Torrealba conspired with codefendant Eyleen Aular-Marin from February 2024 to August 19, 2024, to recruit, harbor, and transport multiple adult women for the purpose of forced sexual servitude. The victims, trapped in apartments and hotel rooms, were denied freedom of movement and forced to endure relentless exploitation – up to 25 appointments per day, around the clock. Contreras-Torrealba routinely carried a 9mm pistol, and was found armed when arrested at a San Antonio hotel on August 19th.
The scheme preyed on desperate women, including one undocumented Venezuelan lured from Colombia via Facebook. Contreras-Torrealba fronted the travel costs, then shackled the woman with a fabricated $30,000 debt. She was forced to generate income through commercial sex acts, none of the profits reaching her. He even charged her $50 daily for lodging *and* another $50 per appointment if transportation was required. When the victim was arrested twice, Contreras-Torrealba simply added the bond costs to the ever-growing debt, a chilling demonstration of his callous disregard for human life.
A second victim, also Venezuelan and undocumented, was recruited through social media and subjected to a similar ordeal in Dallas. While she received 30% of the proceeds, she still faced constant surveillance and up to 25 appointments daily without respite. The operation was systematic, ruthless, and designed to maximize profit at the expense of human dignity.
“We cannot be a society that tolerates the commoditization of humans for the purposes of sex,” stated U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. “If you intend to profit off of the sexual commoditization of humans, do not come to San Antonio, or anywhere else in the Western District of Texas.” ICE HSI Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee echoed the sentiment, calling Contreras-Torrealba an “international predator” and emphasizing the importance of collaborative law enforcement efforts. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus added that the sentencing sends a clear message: “human trafficking and organized criminal activity have no place in San Antonio.”
Aular-Marin received a 70-month sentence on September 3rd. Another co-defendant, Ronayde Salazar-Garcia, who served as a driver and “keeper” for the victims, is scheduled for sentencing on October 21st. The investigation was a joint effort between ICE and the San Antonio Police Department, with the prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia McNab. While this sentence delivers a measure of justice, the scars of this operation will undoubtedly linger for the victims – and serve as a stark reminder of the horrors of human trafficking.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking|Sex Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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