Seven Charged in Two New Jersey Human Trafficking Rings Exploiting Minors and Women

Authorities dismantled operations in Essex and Cumberland Counties that coerced victims, including children as young as 13, into sex work through violence and manipulation.

• New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin announced the indictment of seven individuals involved in two human trafficking rings operating in Essex and Cumberland Counties.
• In Essex County, Khailah Meekins, 21, and Donte Barkley, 28, were accused of trafficking three minors, aged 13 and 15, by advertising them online and forcing them into sexual encounters at hotels and short-term rentals.
• In Cumberland County, Usiel Luna, 42, and three co-conspirators allegedly lured women under false pretenses, confined them in a house, and forced them to engage in sex acts with hundreds of men weekly.
• The Cumberland County operation also involved drug distribution, with authorities seizing over $50,000 in cash from the brothel and Luna's home.
• The charges, which include human trafficking, aggravated sexual assault, and drug distribution, follow the creation of a dedicated anti-human trafficking unit in the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office two years ago.

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