RAUL ROMERO-GRANADOS, a/k/a “Chicarcas,” a/k/a “El Negro,” is one of seven defendants named in a 21-count superseding indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court, charged with running a transnational sex trafficking ring that enslaved women and minors through rape, beatings, and threats. The operation spanned 16 years—from at least 2000 to 2016—exploiting victims across Mexico and the United States, turning human bodies into profit for what prosecutors describe as a family-run criminal enterprise built on coercion, violence, and degradation.
Alongside ROMERO-GRANADOS, ISAAC LOMELI-RIVERA, a/k/a “Giro,” was arrested in the U.S., while EFRAIN GRANADOS-CORONA, a/k/a “Chavito,” a/k/a “Cepillo,” ALAN ROMERO-GRANADOS, a/k/a “El Flaco,” PEDRO ROJAS-ROMERO, and EMILIO ROJAS-ROMERO were taken into custody in Mexico. The arrests followed Provisional Arrest Warrants submitted by U.S. authorities in August 2016 and a rare coordinated strike between American and Mexican law enforcement. One defendant, JUAN ROMERO-GRANADOS, a/k/a “Chegoya,” a/k/a “El Guero,” remains at large and is currently a fugitive.
The indictment, returned under seal on September 15, 2016, and unsealed after the arrests on October 26 and 27, details a criminal network that used false promises of work and stability to lure victims, then trapped them through physical and sexual violence. Minors were coercively separated from families, beaten, and forced into prostitution. The organization treated women like commodities, moving them across borders to feed a relentless cycle of exploitation. Profits were funneled back into the operation, allowing it to persist for more than a decade and a half.
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch did not mince words: ‘Human trafficking is a corrosive and degrading practice that goes against both the rule of law and the most basic standards of human dignity.’ She emphasized the Justice Department’s resolve to hold traffickers accountable and support survivors, crediting Mexican law enforcement for their critical role in dismantling the ring. ‘We thank them for their cooperation in this important action,’ Lynch said.
U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called the alleged conduct ‘brutal and predatory.’ Speaking from the Southern District of New York, Bharara stated the defendants ‘raped, beat, tortured, and enslaved their victims, often minors.’ He highlighted the joint U.S.-Mexico operation as proof of a shared commitment to end human commodification. ‘These crimes treat human beings as chattel,’ he said. ‘We will not tolerate it.’
ICE Director Sarah R. Saldaña condemned the sexual exploitation of human beings as ‘one of the vilest crimes committed against humanity.’ She praised the bilateral law enforcement effort, calling each arrest a symbol of the deep cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico. ‘We are sending a clear message to human traffickers,’ Saldaña said. ‘Law enforcement agencies on both sides of the border have them in their sights.’ The case is now assigned to United States District Judge Andrew L. Carter, Jr., with survivors receiving federal victim support services as the prosecution moves forward.
Related Federal Cases
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- Binghamton Man Sentenced in Child Sex Trafficking Ring · New York
- King Casino’ and Gloria Palmer Busted in Sex Trafficking Ring · New York
- Bakari ‘Bizzle’ McMillan, 8 Others Jailed in SC Sex Trafficking Ring · South Carolina
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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