Cuenca expat arrested in Miami on human trafficking and currency charges

A 51-year-old man who listed his home as Av. Ordoñez Lasso in Cuenca was arrested at Miami International Airport Friday night on charges of human trafficking and currency violations.

Baggage screening at Miami International Airport.

Police said that Randolph Easterling, originally from Indiana, was taken into custody after he arrived on a flight from Quito. Ecuadorian immigration officials, who had worked with the FBI and other U.S. authorities on the case, said that the man used the name Josh or John Smith in Ecuador, and may have used false documents to obtain a residency visa.

Easterling was carrying $34,000 in cash when he arrived in Miami, above the currency traveling limit in both the U.S. and Ecuador, according to police.

Police released few details on the human trafficking charge, except for the fact that he had an apparent connection to Patrick Minga, a Quito expat who was arrested in 2014 for sexual trafficking and is currently serving a prison sentence is the U.S. (click here to read the article).

They also said that Easterling was carrying brochures advertising “sexual rendezvous with beautiful women” in Cuenca and Quito.