ICE HSI multi-agency human trafficking operation in east Tennessee nets 5 arrests

DAYTON, Tenn. – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) participated in a joint undercover operation that resulted in the arrest of five men accused of seeking illicit sex from minors.

During this two-day undercover investigation aimed at addressing human trafficking in the east Tennessee area, officers placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex. The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors. Those charged and booked into the Rhea County Jail on $25,000 bonds included:

• Eugenio D. Bautista, 23, of Dayton, Tennessee, charged with two counts trafficking for commercial sex act and two counts especially aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.
• Kevin S. Cormier, 54, of Spring City, Tennessee, charged with two counts trafficking for commercial sex act.
• Devin Wayne Riddle, 28, of Chickamauga, Georgia, charged with one count trafficking for commercial sex act; one count manufacture, delivery, sell of possession of methamphetamine and one count unlawful drug paraphernalia.
• Kevin Ramirez Vasquez, 18, of Chattanooga, Tennessee, charged with one count trafficking for commercial sex act.
• Erik Alan Zeliski, 47, of Ooltewah, Tennessee, charged with one count trafficking for commercial sex act.

This is the third such operation conducted in 2022. In 2021, 13 similar operations, aimed at human trafficking, were conducted across the state of Tennessee.

Law enforcement agencies taking part in this operation included HSI, TBI Human Trafficking Task Force, Dayton Police Department, and the 12th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Learn more about HSI Nashville’s activities @HSI_Nashville.