BATON ROUGE — Several people have been arrested by East Baton Rouge Parish deputies in connection with alleged human trafficking operations in Baton Rouge and other parts of Louisiana. 

According to deputies, they received a tip in January that a man, later identified as 40-year-old Maurilio Vargas, was trafficking women out of a Holt Avenue apartment. Deputies said they later learned that Vargas' wife, 40-year-old Zabdi Guzman-Diaz, was also involved in the alleged human trafficking operation.

Authorities eventually raided the Holt Avenue apartment, as well as a home on Moticello Boulevard and a Kenner address. Three women were found after the raids, two in Baton Rouge and one in Kenner. An arrest affidavit says that the pair coordinated the operation using WhatsApp, having "clients" exchange money for various sexual services from trafficked women.

Guns were also seized from the properties, deputies added, noting that the investigation involved several other state and local agencies. 

Guzman-Diaz and Vargas were both arrested Thursday on human trafficking, pandering, promoting prostitution and contributing to the delinquency of a minor charges. 

Deputies also made arrests in another connected human trafficking investigation operating out of Baton Rouge and Harvey. 

Deputies said that they received a tip in August 2024 that someone was trafficking women out of an apartment near LSU's campus. As a result, Baton Rouge homes on Stan Avenue, Nicholson Drive and Shelley Street, as well as a home in Harvey, were all surveilled during the investigation. 

In October 2025, the locations were raided, with two female victims being rescued from the apartment on Nicholson. 

As a result of the investigation, the alleged ring-leader, 45-year-old Jesus Lopez, as well as his wife Marlen Cruz, his daughter Zaira Lizeth Lopez-Oliva and his daughter-in-law Kirsis Kirington were all arrested. WBRZ previously reported that they were federally indicted. 

They were all arrested and charged with human trafficking, promoting prostitution and pandering. 

Officials said that the suspected traffickers sent photographs of "scantily clad women of various nationalities, advertising that they were available for commercial sex acts" via WhatsApp. 

Investigators interviewed people they pulled over for traffic violations, who said they were at the address having sex with unknown women they observed in the message they received from WhatsApp. The price ranged from $40 to $60, depending on the client, WBRZ reported.

According to deputies, immigration agents also arrested five people who were in the country illegally: Sergio Alexander Morales-Alvarado, Marco Aguero-Cruz, Yery Hernandez, Jose Lino Martinez-Vasquez and Darverson Wenceslao Cuxun-Rodriguez. 

“Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes in our society, and I’m extremely proud of the tireless work of our detectives and partner agencies in bringing these individuals to justice,” East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux said. “Our detectives devoted thousands of hours to this investigation, following every lead and working relentlessly to rescue these victims. The moment they were safely recovered was both huge and deeply emotional for everyone involved. Rescuing these victims and holding their traffickers accountable is a testament to what can be accomplished when local, state, and federal agencies work together with one shared mission — to protect the vulnerable and ensure justice is served.”