String of Human Trafficking and Prostitution Arrests by Undercover Police in Nashville

Metro Nashville Police Chief John Drake speaks during a press briefing in Nashville, Tenn. on July 28, 2021. (Courtesy of Metropolitan Nashville Police Department)

A 2-day undercover joint operation by investigators from the Metro Nashville Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), and Homeland Security has led to the arrest of 12 men in Nashville, Tennessee, in relation to human trafficking.

Ten men responded to an internet ad promoting juvenile females posted by undercover officers, and arrived at a Nashville hotel. They were subsequently arrested and charged with trafficking for a commercial sex act.

The men have been identified and named: Jerson Calderon, 38, of Nashville; Ismir Mustafic, 19, of Bowling Green; Tyrice Jackson, 45, of Phenix, Alabama; Guman Rai, 32, of Nashville; Maynor Garcia, 41, of Nashville; Hastings Cargile, 44, of Nashville; Quadreon France, 27, of Murfreesboro; John C. Gooch Jr., 52, of Nashville; Douglas Yanes-Eli, 22, of Nashville; and Christopher Falcon, 30, of Nashville; according to FOX17 June 11 report.

A second operation resulted in the arrest of 2 men who were charged with promoting prostitution. These include Keeden Montgomery, 25, of Memphis; and Jarvis Lamar Jones, 34, of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Jones is also charged with drug possession and holding a handgun while being a felon. Police also recovered 14 OxyContin pills, 9 grams of marijuana, 95 ecstasy pills, 5.5 grams of cocaine, 4.4 grams of heroin, and a gun from Jones’s vehicle.

Five women who responded to ads from undercover detectives have been offered services from End Slavery Tennessee and Thistle Farms personnel, following which, they were released.

On June 9, 2 female suspects were taken into custody as part of another undercover human trafficking operation in Nashville.

Ruby Stamper, 47, and Jessica Parton, 36, responded to an erotic ad posted by officers. Metro police recovered 5.5 grams of crack cocaine, 4.4 grams heroin, 14 OxyContin pills, and 95 ecstasy pills from the ladies’ vehicle. They are currently facing several felony drug charges.

On June 8, two men were arrested during a human trafficking operation. Officers posted online ads, posing as minors, and Douglas Yanes-Eli, 22, and Jerson Calderon, 38, responded.

Officers arrested the men after they arrived at a Davidson County hotel with cash payment for sexual services.

Human trafficking is the second-highest rising crime in the state, according to a report by TBI, says Free for Life International, an NGO that assists people affected by human trafficking and exploitation.

There were 165 human trafficking cases reported in Tennessee in 2020, and 419 contacts, related to the crime, based on data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

The majority of victims are U.S. citizens, and most often the trafficker is a family member, friend, or individual a victim already knows.

Most of the reports come from Davidson and Williamson Counties because of transportation facilities and a favorable location for traffickers.

Nashville is one of only six American cities where three major interstates converge. Seventy-five percent of the country can be accessed within a 2-hour flight from the city and close proximity to Atlanta—a large metropolitan area known for high amounts of human trafficking—and large tourism and sporting industries make Nashville a hub for human traficking, according to the NGO report.