Nine Venezuelan nationals have pleaded guilty to their roles in a family-run sex trafficking operation based in Nashville, Tennessee, according to the US Department of Justice. Prosecutors said the scheme targeted vulnerable migrant women, luring them to the United States with false promises of legitimate employment before coercing them into prostitution.

The case forms part of a wider federal crackdown on trafficking networks exploiting migrants, with the guilty pleas representing a significant step in prosecutors' efforts to dismantle the ring. Further details on sentencing and the specific charges faced by each defendant were not fully outlined in the available report.