EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A Tren De Aragua gang member who had been arrested in El Paso has been sentenced for trafficking people out of the now-defunct Gateway Hotel in Downtown.
According to court records, Estefania Primera, aka “La Barbie,” pled guilty to trafficking of a person and was sentenced to two years on June 4.
Court records show that Primera has 616 days in “jail credit,” meaning that’s how many days will be shaved off her sentence because she has been incarcerated that long while awaiting trial.
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As you may remember, Primera was the subject of a New York Post report, that revealed that she had been arrested for drugging a woman and letting men rape her in exchange for money.
According to court documents, the victim, who was in Border Patrol custody when she admitted to working as a prostitute in El Paso, entered the U.S. in October 2023.
Primera reportedly first told the victim she could make some money by prostituting herself; however, when the victim said she wasn’t interested, Primera forced the woman to take an M30 pill containing fentanyl, as well as another pill that made the woman go “in and out of consciousness,” while men raped her.
On multiple occasions, court documents state, the woman would wake up bleeding and injured and instead of providing medical care, Primera would reportedly tell her to take another M30 pill.
Then, on at least one occasion, the woman attempted to leave the hotel but was allegedly forced back in by Primera.
Gateway Hotel in downtown El Paso. (credit: KFOX14/CBS4)
The woman also reportedly told the hotel manager about the abuse, but they chalked it up to domestic violence and told the woman to go back to her room.
It wasn’t until Sept. 10, 2024, that the woman fled the hotel and “purposely” contacted a border patrol agent for help.
One week later, she was interviewed by a special agent with the Texas Department of Public Safety who located a listing for the woman on a website advertising various sexual services.
During that interview, the woman also told the DPS agent that she saw men pay Primera for the sexual services, but that she never received any money herself.
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