Two-day, Tennessee undercover operation on human trafficking nets nine arrests, charges
A two-day, joint undercover operation led by state and local law enforcement and aimed at addressing human trafficking in the Hendersonville area has led to the arrest of nine people.
On April 11 and 12, officers working in the sting placed decoy advertisements on websites linked to prostitution and sex trafficking with the focus of identifying people trying to hire minors for commercial sex acts, authorities said in a news release.
The following suspects were charged and booked into the Sumner County Jail as part of the sting:
Vincent Hozie Billingsley, 30, of Memphis, Tennessee.
Steven Mitchell Cannon Jr., 51, of Charlotte, Tennessee.
Jerry Edward Delp, 68, of Westmoreland, Tennessee.
Morgan Garrett, 38, of Cordova, Tennessee.
James Julious Jones, 43, of Gallatin, Tennessee.
Trinity Elu Knutson, 20, of Conway, Arkansas.
Carlynn Evon McIntosh, 28, of Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
Druce Niverlle Phillips Jr., 21, of Nashville, Tennessee.
Mahicol Jesus Maurera Rivas, 35, of Nashville, Tennessee.
Billingsley faces one count of promoting prostitution, one count of simple possession Schedule VI and one count of possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He was given a $110,000 bond.
Cannon faces one count of promoting prostitution. His bond was set at $55,000.
Delp faces one count of patronizing prostitution of a minor. His bond was set at $75,000.
Garrett faces one count of promoting prostitution. Her bond was set at $80,000.
Jones faces one count of solicitation of a minor and one count of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor. His bond was set at $85,000.
Knutson faces one count of prostitution. Her bond was set at $5,000.
McIntosh faces one count of prostitution. Her bond was set at $12,500.
Phillips faces two counts of patronizing prostitution from a minor. His bond was set at $25,000.
Rivas faces one count of promoting prostitution. His bond was set at $130,000.
Court hearings are scheduled in Sumner County General Sessions Court for all nine suspects later this month.
Investigators also worked to identify potential victims of human trafficking as part of the 2-day operation, and two people were reportedly identified as potential victims, recovered and offered services through human trafficking victim service organizations like Thistle Farms and AncoraTN, the release said.
The multi-agency operation was led by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's Human Trafficking Unit, Hendersonville Police Department, Sumner County Sheriff's Office, members of the 18th Judicial Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and Office of 18th Judicial District Attorney General Ray Whitley.
For more information about human trafficking or to report a human trafficking tip, visit www.ITHasToStop.com.
Katie Nixon can be reached at knixon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Cops: Tennessee human trafficking op ends in 9 arrests, victims aided
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Speaking with officials about fire safety following Gallatin home explosion
GALLATIN, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Gallatin home exploded Thursday morning, sending shrapnel flying through the neighborhood and leaving one person injured. Though the cause of the blast — which neighbors likened to an 'earthquake' — is still under investigation, some witnesses worry that it was caused by a gas leak. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation by the Gallatin Fire Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. ORIGINAL STORY | 'Felt like an earthquake': 1 injured after explosion destroys Gallatin home Matthew Lupo, fire chief for Nolensville Fire & Rescue, said the department isn't working the case, but said that companies add a sulfur smell to natural gas and propane for safety reasons. Otherwise they're odorless. If you do smell a rotten egg smell, he has some tips. 'First, evacuate the house. Don't flip any switches on the way out,' Lupo said. 'Just get out. If you know where the shut-offs are for your propane tanks or where your gas is fed in through the meter, you can shut those off. [A fire] could be triggered by anything from light switches to electronics — anything that can create static electricity or a little spark. Don't be afraid to call 911. ⏩ 'We would rather get there and have it be something simple and resolve the issue real quickly than it turn out to be a big event because and we're not called out in time,' Lupo said. Lupo added that carbon monoxide alarms don't pick up on natural gas or propane leaks. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Man caught with 15 pounds of THC edibles, marijuana wax in Sumner County
SUMNER COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Louisville man who came to Middle Tennessee for a golf trip ended up behind bars in Sumner County after authorities discovered more than $100,000 worth of drugs and cash during a traffic stop. A member of the 18th Judicial District Drug Task Force pulled over an SUV along Interstate 65 North in Millersville. The driver — identified as 27-year-old James Scott McKenzie — claimed he was in Middle Tennessee to play golf with his brother. However, law enforcement became suspicious after smelling the pungent odor of marijuana in the rental vehicle. Agent: 'Is there anything illegal inside the vehicle today?' McKenzie: 'No, sir.' Agent: 'Do you smoke a little marijuana occasionally?' McKenzie: 'No, sir.' Agent: 'Any cocaine?' McKenzie: 'No, sir.' Agent: 'Any heroin?' McKenzie: 'No, sir.' Agent: 'Any other forms of THC style products like vapes…or gummies?' McKenzie: 'Uh, um, well-' Agent: 'Listen, look, listen…Nothing in the vehicle you want to tell me about?' McKenzie: 'There is a vape pen that's his.' 'Felt like an explosion': 1 injured after explosion destroys Gallatin home When the 27-year-old refused to give consent to search, authorities ran K9 Emma around the car. The dog alerted on the right side of the vehicle, giving the law enforcement probable cause to search it. According to a member of the drug task force, McKenzie ultimately told him he had what he thought was a THC vape. Agent: 'What's in the car?' McKenzie: 'I just got my wax in there.' Agent: 'How much?' McKenzie: 'It's probably like a half pound of wax.' Agent: 'A half pound?' McKenzie: 'Yes, sir.' That's where authorities found a padlocked bag. Officials told News 2 the bag was specially designed to conceal odors, but it couldn't fool Emma the drug dog. Inside the bag, law enforcement said they discovered 15 pounds of THC edibles and marijuana wax, which is worth an estimated $120,000 on the street. In addition, when McKenzie was arrested, he reportedly had close to $5,700 on his person. 'Either it's the first time he's gotten caught or he's just extremely unlucky and just got caught on the first trip,' the drug agent told News 2. According to the Sumner County Sheriff's Office, McKenzie was booked into the Sumner County Jail on Tuesday, June 3. He's being held on a $185,000 bond for manufacture, delivery, sale, or possession of Schedule VI drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as following too closely. Authorities said McKenzie had no prior criminal history. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Human trafficking suspect arrested after investigation at Nashville motels
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A man was arrested Tuesday following an investigation into a human trafficking operation based out of Nashville motels. According to court documents, special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation conducted an investigation in December 2023 into a human trafficking operation at Super 8 in the 800 block of Murfreesboro Pike and Somatel Nashville Airport Hotel on Metroplex Drive. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → During this investigation, officials spoke with two women who claimed they were recruited in Venezuela and smuggled to the United States. Once in Tennessee, the women were reportedly forced into engaging in commercial sex to pay off 'fines' of $20,000-$30,000. Arrest documents detail how the women were sex trafficked under the direction of several people, including Kleiver Daniel Mota-Rivero and Yilibeth Del Carmen Rivero-De Caldera –who were indicted in February for their roles in a Middle Tennessee-based sex trafficking operation. Tuesday, officers arrested a third person — 25-year-old Ramon de Jesus Velasquez-Martinez — for his role in a similar operation involving Mota-Rivero. According to reports, one of the women said between November 2023 and February 2025 Velasquez-Martinez sent commercial sex clients to her motel rooms, took the money earned from these interactions and frequently took her cellphone to monitor who she was in contact with. RELATED: Several Venezuelan nationals indicted for role in Middle Tennessee-based sex trafficking ring The woman told authorities that in 2024, she escaped the trafficking operation and moved to Miami to work at a restaurant. Velasquez-Martinez reportedly showed up at her workplace and threatened her with a gun to go with him while making comments about her children back in Venezuela. Court documents said after this interaction she returned to Nashville with him and was forced back in to participating in commercial sex acts. During the investigation authorities reportedly found 26 advertisements for commercial sex posted in Nashville which featured Velasquez-Martinez's phone number as the main point of contact. Authorities said thousands of text messages were recovered between Velasquez-Martinez and other suspects regarding commercial sex clients, advertisements and firearms. ⏩ Velasquez-Martinez is charged with felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and felony trafficking for a commercial sex act. According to Davidson County Sheriff's Office records, he is being held on an ICE detainer and a $150,000 bond. If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
