A Texas duo who drove to Miami brought along a teen they sold for sex, police say
A man and a woman who traveled from Texas to Miami last week are accused of bringing along an underage girl and selling her for sex.
Xavier Latrell Smith, 32, of Dallas, Texas, and Jayla Welch, 21, who is from the Dallas area, were arrested on Friday by Miami-Dade police’s human trafficking squad. The two are charged with human trafficking, interference with child custody, and unlawful use of a communications device. Smith faces an additional charge: renting space for prostitution.
Detectives received a tip from the FBI about a man and woman trafficking a 17-year-old victim in Miami-Dade, according to police. They found the three at the Budget Inn, a motel at 8929 NW 27th Ave. in West Little River.
The woman, police say, met the teenage victim two months ago when she was recruiting young girls for sex work in Dallas. The man, her boyfriend, was tasked with arranging meetings with potential customers, according to a police release.
The three of them began to drive to Miami but stopped in several cities to meet with clients who paid to go on dates and have sex with the underage victim, according to police. Clients booked services through the man’s phone number, which was posted on commercial sex sites.
During the trio’s week-long stay in Miami, the victim received more than $10,000, which she shared with the man and woman, police say.
Smith and Welch were booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. As of Tuesday evening, they don’t have bonds set.
Anyone with information should contact Crime Stoppers at (305)471-TIPS (8477) or (866) 471-8477.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 4:54 PM.
