Vance Police Accuse Couple of Trafficking & Extorting Immigrants, Larger Operation May Exist

Police in Vance have charged a man and woman with illegally trafficking and extorting immigrants this week and said a larger operation may still exist in the area.

According to depositions filed in Tuscaloosa County earlier this week, police accuse 41-year-old Alex Francisco Ramirez of bringing at least two men into the United States from Guatemala in 2021 and 2022.

Ramirez allegedly gave the men a fraudulent ID, secured them employment at a wood plant in Vance and "forced [them] to cash his paycheck weekly at the El Sabor Latina Store in Vance, Alabama or face deportation."

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Police say Ramirez withheld the men's passports, ID cards and birth certificates and required them to pay cash weekly from their plant earnings. From 2011 until May 2024, the men had paid Ramirez more than $17,000, according to the deposition.

A third deposition accuses Yeni Adali Sabaria Reyes of having direct knowledge of the scheme - she is married to Ramirez.

Ramirez has been charged with two counts of second-degree trafficking, Court records only show one count of the same filed against Reyes so far.

According to a Facebook post from the Vance Police Department, there may be more victims of this or similar schemes, and "it is suspected that additional individuals are involved in this operation."

Both have posted bond on the trafficking charges at $5,000 per count.

Stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread for updates if any are made available.