Law enforcement has arrested Estefania Primera, an illegal alien from Venezuela, following reports that she was the ring leader for a gang’s sex trafficking operation in El Paso.
Primera was named by a sex trafficking victim as the leader of a Tren de Aragua sex trafficking ring. She was arrested in El Paso in late September on charges of trafficking of persons according to her booking record.
According to court documents, one victim told police that Primera drugged her multiple times, which caused her to pass out. She awoke to multiple men raping her.
An internal Border Patrol memo detailing the arrest was obtained by the New York Post. According to the memo, Primera was encountered with her five underage children, who agents previously learned are often used as drug mules by Primera to store and sell narcotics.
Primera entered the U.S. illegally in August 2023 and was apprehended by Border Patrol but was soon released under the supervision of ICE’s electronic monitoring technology. However, she discarded the ankle monitor soon after her release.
Known as “La Barbie” on the street, Primera’s sex trafficking ring is alleged to have been operating out of the Gateway Hotel in El Paso.
The hotel was temporarily shut down in September 2024 after a temporary restraining order, temporary injunction, and permanent injunction were filed by El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez regarding criminal activity occurring at the hotel.
Gov. Greg Abbott has designated the Tren de Aragua gang as a foreign terrorist organization. Abbott also designated TDA as a Tier 1 gang which the Department of Public Safety defines as gangs that pose the “greatest threat to the state.”
Primera is currently in an El Paso jail with her bond set at $200,000.
Texas Scorecard reached out to ICE and CBP, but did not received a response by publication.
