The owner and employees of the Sayville Motor Lodge in New York have been indicted on charges of sex trafficking and managing a premises for drugs.
According to a Nov. 2 news release, the indictment charges Narendarakuma Dadarwala, his wife Shardaben Dadarwala, their son Jigar Dadarwala, Ashokbhai Patel and Himanshu Inc., doing business as Sayville Motor Lodge with a sex trafficking conspiracy. The defendants are also accused of running a drug operation on the premises.
“As alleged, the defendants made the Sayville Motor Lodge a money-making refuge for prostitution and narcotics trafficking, and a blight on the surrounding community,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said in release. “With these arrests, we send a clear message that our office will prosecute those who use motels or any other venue as their base of operations for trafficking human beings and drugs.”
Narendarakuma Dadarwala is also accused of sharing the profits from his businesses dealing in prostitutes and illegal drugs, the release reported. Patel was detained in Nebraska and will be charged at a later time in the Eastern District of New York. The other suspects were taken into custody this morning and will be brought before United States Magistrate Judge Lee G. Dunst for arraignment. A fifth accomplice is still at large.
Authorities allege the defendants took money from sex traffickers and drug dealers in exchange for allowing them to conduct their illegal criminal enterprises at the Sayville Motor Lodge. according to the release.
“From the outside, the Sayville Motor Lodge appeared to be a typical roadside motel, but in reality, there was far more than just overnight stays occurring there. The owners and employees facilitated sex trafficking and drug sales for financial gain at the expense of women, including a minor,” Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison said in the release. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stop those who exploit victims of human trafficking and will continue to help these victims receive the services they need to get their lives back on track.”
According to court documents, the defendants worked with human traffickers, scheduling and setting room rates for commercial sex. They also warned the traffickers when law enforcement was nearby and personally witnessed traffickers inflicting physical violence on their victims, the release reported. In addition, the defendants allowed drugs to be trafficked openly on their property, getting a cut of the profits from drug dealers.
“These defendants are alleged to have not only knowingly allowed criminal behavior to run rampant at the motor inn for years, they also financially benefited from these same illegal activities directly through kickbacks," Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney said in the release.
The accomplice still at large allegedly ran his sex trafficking business out of the Sayville Motor Lodge from approximately 2014 until 2018, trafficking women, including a minor, and would routinely inflict physical violence on them, according to the release. He allegedly got his victims addicted to drugs and forced them into prostitution in exchange for the drugs.
The defendants each face a minimum of 15 to 20 years for their actions, the release reported.
