SAN ANTONIO – A Venezuelan national has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a human trafficking scheme and for illegally possessing a firearm, federal prosecutors announced.

On September 16, U.S. District Court sentenced Edson Jose Contreras-Torrealba, 34, after he pled guilty to two human trafficking charges and one firearms offense.

Court records show Contreras-Torrealba conspired with co-defendant Eyleen Aular-Marin between February and August 2024 to recruit, entice, harbor, and transport multiple adult women to engage in commercial sex in San Antonio. Victims were confined to apartments or hotel rooms, required to work every day, and not allowed to leave without permission. Contreras-Torrealba routinely carried a 9mm pistol and was armed at the time of his arrest in August 2024.

One victim told investigators that Contreras-Torrealba lured her from Colombia with promises of opportunity, only to impose a $30,000 “travel debt” once she arrived in the United States. She was forced to facilitate up to 20 appointments a day, with all proceeds controlled by her trafficker. He charged her additional daily fees for housing and transportation, and even added her bond costs to her “debt” following arrests.

A second victim, also a Venezuelan national, was recruited in Dallas and subjected to similar conditions, facilitating up to 25 appointments per day.

“We cannot be a society that tolerates the commoditization of humans for the purposes of sex,” said Justin R. Simmons, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas. “If you intend to profit off of human trafficking, do not come to San Antonio—or anywhere else in the Western District of Texas.”

“This sentencing of this international predator underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting those most vulnerable,” said ICE HSI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee.

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus praised the courage of the victims and the collaboration between federal and local investigators, calling the sentence a clear message that organized trafficking will not be tolerated.

Co-defendant Eyleen Aular-Marin was sentenced on September 3 to 70 months in prison. A third conspirator, Ronayde Salazar-Garcia, who briefly served as a driver in the scheme, is scheduled for sentencing October 21.

The case was investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the San Antonio Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia McNab prosecuted.