Brentwood, NY, United States
Mariluz Zavala and her husband Jose Ibanez recruited and smuggled over sixty Peruvian nationals (including children) to the US. The couple charged a smuggling fee that ranged from $6,000 to $13,000, and found the victims work, forcing them to then give them all their wages earned each week. The couple used the money to purchase real estate and pay their own living expenses. The victims were forced to work in Amityville, Brentwood, and Coram, New York.
Location
United States · Brentwood, NY · 2004 (location generalized to protect survivors)
Response & intervention
On November 5, 2005, the couple plead guilty to charges of labor trafficking. Zavala was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Safe Horizon
Documented on the original SlaveryMap (2008–2016). We don't have a verifiable source on file yet — use “Report a problem” below to add one.