Gang-Related Human Trafficking: 2 Plead Out in Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA -- Two men have pleaded no contest in Sonoma County Superior Court to gang-related human trafficking charges, the Sonoma County District Attorney's Office said Feb. 1.

Sammy David Estrada, 25, and Carlos Raymond Martinez, 29, were arrested after they, along with a 22-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl fled a vehicle that was involved in a hit-and-run in Santa Rosa on Dec. 12, prosecutors said.

Police found a loaded handgun in the vehicle and later located the occupants. According to police, the woman and girl had engaged in commercial sex acts in Sonoma County and other nearby counties. Estrada and Martinez were their pimps, as well as members of a gang in the Fresno area, according to the DA's office.

Estrada pleaded no contest to human trafficking of a minor and Martinez pleaded no contest to pimping. Both also pleaded no contest to possessing a loaded firearm and admitted the human trafficking was committed for the benefit of the gang, prosecutors said.

Martinez is expected to be sentenced to eight years in prison during a March 2 court appearance, while Martinez is to be sentenced to five years, the DA's office said.

Bay City News contributed to this report/Image via Shutterstock