HUMAN TRAFFICKING WATCH · DISPATCH
Sumner County Trafficking Bust: Five Arrests
Multi-agency operation identified nine potential victims; ICE lodged detainers on three.
A TBI-led operation in Hendersonville and Sumner County resulted in five arrests on promoting prostitution charges and the identification of nine potential trafficking victims; ICE later lodged detainers on three men and detailed prior border encounters.
On June 12 in Hendersonville and across Sumner County, Tennessee, a Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Human Trafficking Unit–led operation resulted in five arrests on state charges of promoting prostitution; investigators identified nine people as potential trafficking victims and booked the arrestees into the Sumner County Jail, a coordinated strike carried out with the Sheriff’s Office, Hendersonville Police, Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, and the Internal Revenue Service, according to agency statements and local reports (WZTV, n.d.; KOMO, n.d.; WPEC, n.d.; ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov), n.d.).
Authorities later identified the five men as Bryan Duany Rodriguez-Pena, born 1999-01-15, bond $80,000; Alinson Guerrero-Ramirez, born 1998-10-29, bond $60,000; Lazaro Rodriguez-Santos, born 1993-12-18, bond $82,000; Kasim Barnes, born 1981-02-24, bond $1,000,000; and Christopher Torres, born 1999-01-18, bond $750,000; ICE announced the arrests publicly on July 14 while local agencies underscored the state promoting-prostitution charges already in place (WSMV, n.d.; ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov), n.d.).
On the day of the operation, ICE lodged immigration detainers on three of the five—Alinson Guerrero-Ramirez, Bryan Duany Rodriguez-Pena, and Lazaro Rodriguez-Santos—stating they are Cuban nationals who previously entered without authorization; Customs and Border Protection first encountered Rodriguez-Pena on 2021-06-05 after a Rio Grande crossing, an agent encountered Rodriguez-Santos near Yuma in November 2021, and Guerrero-Ramirez was paroled at Brownsville in 2023, details that ICE and local outlets say prompted the detainers (ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov), n.d.; WZTV, n.d.; KOMO, n.d.; WPEC, n.d.).
Those identified as potential victims were offered services through Thistle Farms, with additional on‑site assistance from Skull Games and Our Rescue, a response that placed immediate care and safety—transport, shelter connections, and advocacy—alongside arrests, according to the station’s account of the operation (WSMV, n.d.).
Acting ICE Director David J. Venturella said the agency was working with federal, state, and local partners to dismantle criminal organizations, protect victims, and hold individuals who are unlawfully present accountable, a statement consistent with the multi-agency posture that also included the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office; if you or someone you know needs help, contact the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1‑888‑373‑7888 or text 233733 (ICE | U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (.gov), n.d.; WSMV, n.d.).
Locations: Hendersonville, Sumner County, Sumner County, Rio Grande, Yuma, Brownsville
Tags: investigation, state, local, federal, frontline