Local case study
4 AM at MCDONALD'S
How a single phone call uncovered a human trafficking scheme involving drugs and ties to the Mexican Cartel.
Content Warning
In this article, I am examining a local case that unfolded only five miles away from my house. The identities of the victims will be withheld, as well as the names of those who participated in the interviews I conducted, since this case is still active. I would like to put out a content and trigger warning before I continue, as this case involves drug abuse, animal abuse, and rape of a minor.
911
It’s 3:55 in the morning on April 26th, 2023. Employees arrive to open a McDonald’s in Chester, Maryland. Before they can unlock the doors, they notice something strange: a car sitting motionless in the drive-thru lane. The employees call 911 for a suspicious vehicle.
Two deputies arrived soon after the call. Upon arriving at the scene, they observed the vehicle moving from the drive-thru lane to a parking space. Then, a male subject, who we’ll call SUSPECT, exited the driver’s seat of said vehicle and walked to his trunk to stand next to the tailgate. According to the deputies, SUSPECT reported that he had no ID on him, and that his wallet and cell phone were stolen when he was at a gas station before arriving at McDonald’s. However, the SUSPECT could not determine the location of said gas station where the theft had occurred. The deputies also reported that the SUSPECT was providing false names with non-matching dates of birth.
While DEPUTY 1 was interviewing the SUSPECT at the tailgate of his vehicle, DEPUTY 2 noticed a younger female, who we’ll call MINOR VICTIM 1, apparently sleeping in the passenger seat, covered by a blanket. DEPUTY 2 attempted to wake up MINOR VICTIM 1, and observed that she was incoherent and had slurred speech, which are indicators of possible intoxication, sickness, or a medical issue.
Meanwhile, DEPUTY 1 noticed something else that didn’t add up. The SUSPECT had a cell phone in his pocket, despite claiming that his phone had been stolen at a gas station. Dispatch also confirmed that the temporary Virginia registration on the vehicle was registered to a different vehicle.
At this point, there were already several inconsistencies: the SUSPECT had no identification, was providing different names and dates of birth, had given an unclear explanation about his stolen belongings, and was driving a vehicle with registration that didn’t match.
However, the situation was about to become much more serious.
As DEPUTY 2 was attempting to get MINOR VICTIM 1 out of the vehicle, a container that had been concealed underneath her blanket fell out. Inside the container were tightly rolled one-dollar bills, with burned ends and several pieces of tin foil. Based on DEPUTY 2’s training and experience, these appeared to be associated with drug use.
A search of the vehicle then uncovered several suspected controlled substances and drug-related items, including cocaine, a crack cocaine pipe, methamphetamine, and blue pills that were initially believed to be Percocet, but were later determined to be counterfeit pills containing fentanyl.
But there was another detail that immediately stood out.
As MINOR VICTIM 1 was being placed under arrest for drug possession, the SUSPECT told DEPUTY 1 that she was his younger sister, that she “had issues”, and that she was underage. The deputies separated the two and kept them apart. However, the SUSPECT began shouting in Spanish toward MINOR VICTIM 1. She eventually became unresponsive, and paramedics were called.
When paramedics arrived, MINOR VICTIM 1 appeared to be overdosing, and was transported to a medical facility in Queenstown. The SUSPECT, after learning that she was being transported, began complaining of medical issues himself and requested to be taken to the same hospital.
While the SUSPECT and MINOR VICTIM 1 were being transported to the hospital, investigators began searching the vehicle.
Investigation
The first search of the vehicle revealed a collection of items that, individually, might not have meant much. Together, however, they raised significantly more questions. In the trunk, deputies found a black trash bag containing a loaded 12-gauge shotgun, as well as power tools, women’s clothing and lingerie with the retail tags still attached, makeup, jewelry, sexual products, and a suitcase weighing approximately 60 to 70 pounds that was filled with rocks.
At this point, this was no longer just a suspicious vehicle or a drug investigation. A detective from the Queen Anne’s County Office of the Sheriff Criminal Investigations Unit was called to the scene. The detective first went to the hospital to check on MINOR VICTIM 1, who was conscious but unresponsive. She was diagnosed with fentanyl intoxication or overdose.
The detective then spoke with the SUSPECT, who was being kept in a separate room.
The SUSPECT repeatedly asked about MINOR VICTIM 1 and wanted access to her. Investigators refused.
He had originally claimed that she was his younger sister.
But when the detective challenged that statement, the SUSPECT eventually admitted that he had lied, and he stopped calling her his sister. Instead, he began referring to her simply as "the girl."
The SUSPECT then gave investigators his own explanation of how he knew MINOR VICTIM 1. He claimed that he had found her on the streets, that she was addicted to drugs and had run away from home, and that he had taken care of her because he wanted to help her. He said that she voluntarily wanted to be with him.
The SUSPECT also told the detective that he had previously had ties to MS-13 and described past connections to people he referred to as the "Narcos" or "Cartel." He claimed he had run errands for them while living in Mexico, but did not elaborate on the extent of those connections.
After speaking with the SUSPECT, the detective contacted a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI. HSI agreed to assist and provide additional federal resources.
The vehicle was later seized and searched under a warrant.
Investigators found additional clothing and retail products with tags attached, ammunition, drug paraphernalia, tools, gas station receipts, and hotel-related items. Some of the power tools and the shotgun were eventually linked to stores in Pennsylvania. The hotel items were traced to hotels on Maryland's Western Shore.
Investigators then began looking at surveillance footage from those hotels.
In some of the footage, the SUSPECT was seen with another young female. Investigators also noticed that he was carrying the same black trash bag containing the shotgun and the same suitcase filled with rocks that had been found in his vehicle.
And then, investigators made a connection that would change the case.
Investigators identified MINOR VICTIM 1 and located her mother. MINOR VICTIM 1 participated in a sexual-assault forensic examination and disclosed that she had been raped multiple times during the previous two weeks. She did not identify the person responsible, but said that she feared him and knew that he had a gun.
Investigators and victim advocates continued working with her and her family.
But about two weeks later, MINOR VICTIM 1 ran away again. Her father eventually took her to Mexico to get her away from the situation and help keep her safe.
Then investigators discovered something unexpected.
A CPS caseworker recognized the SUSPECT's vehicle from a previous "child in danger" case involving another young girl.
We'll call her MINOR VICTIM 2.
The caseworker found recordings and notes from his previous interview with her. MINOR VICTIM 2 had also been a repeat runaway and struggled with drug addiction. She told the caseworker that she had been picked up by someone matching the SUSPECT's description and driving the same vehicle.
Investigators then showed the caseworker surveillance footage from the hotel, and he recognized the young woman in the footage.
It was MINOR VICTIM 2.
Investigators now had reason to believe that this wasn't an isolated incident involving one minor. There was another young girl who had been in contact with the same SUSPECT, the same vehicle, and some of the same locations.
It took several weeks for investigators to locate MINOR VICTIM 2. With the help of other law enforcement agencies, she was eventually found in a juvenile holding facility in Hagerstown, Maryland. Investigators and a federal victim advocate worked with her attorney to make contact with her.
During their early conversations, MINOR VICTIM 2 confirmed that the vehicle she had been transported in matched the SUSPECT's vehicle. She also explained that she was struggling with drug addiction and had initially met the SUSPECT through her drug use.
Investigators also learned that she knew of another young girl who had spent time with the SUSPECT. That girl had told MINOR VICTIM 2 that the SUSPECT had a gun, was violent, and had threatened to kill two police officers.
MINOR VICTIM 2 eventually agreed to speak with investigators more extensively.
She showed investigators locations where she had purchased drugs, where she had met the SUSPECT, places where he had friends, and hotels in Maryland where she had been taken.
But as investigators continued speaking with her, they began to understand just how complicated her relationship with the SUSPECT had been.
MINOR VICTIM 2 described being controlled through fear, threats, and drugs. She told investigators that the SUSPECT would sometimes provide her with drugs while she was staying in different hotel rooms. She explained that being under the influence frequently affected her memory, making it difficult for her to remember certain events clearly.
She also described an incident in which the SUSPECT used violence to intimidate her after she resisted a sexual demand. If she were to resist or say no to a sexual act, the SUSPECT would slam a puppy’s head into a car door until it succumbed to its injuries.
This is one of the most important parts of this case to understand.
When we hear about human trafficking, it's easy to imagine a victim being physically restrained and unable to leave. But trafficking and exploitation don't always look like that.
A person can be controlled through fear, manipulation, threats, drugs, violence, or a combination of these things. In this case, investigators believed that MINOR VICTIM 2's drug addiction and vulnerability were being used against her.
And the exploitation wasn't limited to sexual abuse.
MINOR VICTIM 2 also told investigators that the SUSPECT took her to Pennsylvania and had her enter stores such as Walmart and Home Depot. She said that she was sometimes expected to steal merchandise herself or distract employees while the SUSPECT stole merchandise. She also recalled another male assisting with some of the thefts.
Investigators continued working with MINOR VICTIM 2 and victim advocates after she was released from juvenile detention. At first, she was trying to stay away from drugs and from people involved in criminal activity. Advocates continued communicating with her and her mother and providing resources to help her maintain a safer environment.
Unfortunately, that did not last.
MINOR VICTIM 2 eventually returned to drug use and ran away from home again. Investigators and advocates were ultimately unable to locate her, and her family moved from their last known address.
The Second Victim
Closing
The SUSPECT was eventually brought to trial on the drug possession charges and was deported to Mexico before he could be registered with Maryland Parole and Probation.
But despite the evidence investigators had uncovered, neither MINOR VICTIM 1 or MINOR VICTIM 2 testified against the SUSPECT regarding the alleged rapes, thefts, or assaults.
And this is where the story becomes more complicated than simply asking, "Why didn't they testify?"
Victims of trafficking may be dealing with addiction, trauma, fear, manipulation, or threats. They may be afraid of what will happen if they cooperate with law enforcement. And even when investigators and advocates are able to connect victims with resources, recovery is not necessarily a straight line.
One of the most difficult parts of human trafficking investigations isn't always finding evidence of a crime. Sometimes, it's helping the people who have been victimized feel safe enough to participate in the process.
When I first started this project, I thought of human trafficking as something that happened somewhere else.
But this happened only five miles from my house, down the road from the marina in which my family keeps our boat.
It began with something as ordinary as employees arriving at a McDonald's before sunrise and noticing a suspicious vehicle in the drive-through.
Those employees didn't know what was happening inside the car. They didn't know that the person inside was using multiple names, that a young girl was in the passenger seat, or that the investigation would eventually lead to another victim, hotels across Maryland, stolen merchandise in Pennsylvania, and federal investigators.
They simply noticed that something wasn't right.
And that is what makes this case so important to me.
Human trafficking does not always look like what we see in movies. It doesn't always happen in major cities, or across international borders, or in places that seem obviously dangerous.
Sometimes, it happens in a quiet community.
Sometimes, the warning signs are hidden among other crimes.
And sometimes, it is hidden in plain sight.
Quotes from Professionals
“I had made contact with the driver and kind of spoke to him and... we weren't really coming back with anything on the tag. He was giving us a name, date of birth. We were trying to run that. We couldn't get anything from that."
-Initial Response Deputy
"Originally when we found the [drugs], she was a suspect 'cause A) we didn't know anything about her and B) like we haven't gotten to that level of the search yet where the story got deeper. So originally she was a suspect, and it wasn't until finding her age and then everything else is considered."
-Initial Response Deputy
Me: “The suspect repeatedly tried to have a form of control over the victim, like by speaking Spanish to her and attempting to access her at the hospital. Is this common in trafficking cases?"
Sergeant: “Absolutely, that it's all about control. It's about them trying to control the narrative all the time and prohibiting the victim from speaking or explaining their part of the story. If they don't stick to the script, they feel very jaded, slighted, and they know they're gonna have to reprimand the victim, their person afterwards and make sure they understand that you let me talk and you pretty much just shut up."
"The people that are in this business are not people you would usually expect. They're very homegrown, they probably have a family of their own. And half the time they mass this under drugs and other stuff so that the stories can never make sense... And if this guy had his ducks in a row and was a high profile trafficker, he probably could have gotten easily away with it."
-Initial Response Deputy
"They're scared. Sometimes they don't realize that they are victims of a crime and they're being used as a pawn. They're seeing the money, they're seeing their drug fix and addictions being aided by the suspect... they're of course aiding them with all of these gifts and stuff like that. So to them they feel love, they're getting attention that they're not getting elsewhere... and sometimes, they'll refer to them as their actual boyfriend, when we know really that no that's not the case, they're just another player in their plan."
-Sergeant