Estefania Primera, the woman widely referred to in local reporting as "La Barbie," has been sentenced to two years in prison in a trafficking case tied to the Downtown El Paso Gateway Hotel. Court records show she will receive 616 days of jail credit for time already served, meaning a large portion of that sentence is effectively behind her.
According to KFOX, Primera pleaded guilty to trafficking of a person and was sentenced on Thursday (June 4). Court documents reviewed by the station allege Primera forced a migrant woman to take an M30 pill containing fentanyl and another sedative, then brought men into hotel rooms where the semi-conscious victim was sexually abused. The records state the victim, who entered the U.S. in October 2023, told investigators she never received any payments, and that hotel staff initially treated her report as a domestic violence situation rather than trafficking.
Gateway Hotel Closure And Local Fallout
The case is tied to the now-shuttered Gateway Hotel at 104 S. Stanton St., a longtime trouble spot that county officials moved to close after years of complaints and inspections. As reported by KVIA and earlier covered in our piece on the hotel being shuttered indefinitely after a nuisance lawsuit settlement, officials said the property drew hundreds of police calls and repeated safety violations before the county finally sued to force its closure.
Tren de Aragua Links And Federal Context
Federal authorities and financial regulators have flagged the Venezuela-origin gang Tren de Aragua for transnational crimes that include human smuggling and sex trafficking, and the U.S. Treasury has publicly sanctioned the organization. The federal designation has pushed agencies to step up coordination among local, state, and national officials on cases that intersect with suspected TdA activity in border communities. The U.S. Department of the Treasury outlined those concerns when it labeled Tren de Aragua a transnational criminal organization.
Legal Fallout And What Comes Next
Court records indicate Primera received 616 days of jail credit, applied to the two-year sentence, according to KFOX. The plea resolves the trafficking count listed in the records reviewed by the station. It will now fall to local prosecutors and the court to determine whether any additional terms, such as restitution or further state filings, follow. Hoodline will continue monitoring local court filings and official statements for updates on related charges or enforcement actions.
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