Suspected Mexican drug cartel members charged: 4 kids safe in Tennessee
ICE has arrested Marcelino Diaz-Decena and Joshua Hernandez-Morales, after discovering multiple CHILDREN were being forced to work at resturant in Tennessee.
Authorities said they believe the children were smuggled across the border by the Mexican Drug Cartel, before being sent to work at the restaurant as “payment.”
ICE also arrested two other illegals in connection with this operation.
Investigators learned of the human trafficking operation when one of the children came to the Smithville Police Department after running away from Chabelita’s Restaurant and Market.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department and Smithville Police Department executed a search warrant in September at Chabelita’s on Broad Street and at the Bright Hill Road residence where one of the children was staying. Numerous firearms and other pieces of evidence were seized during the search, according to a release.
The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department, Smithville Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrested at least two people in connection with the case Thursday.
Joshua Hernandez-Morales, 18, of Bright Hill Road, was charged with Trafficking for Forced Labor or Services. His bond was set at $75,000 and he will appear in court on Jan. 8, 2026. Marcelino Diaz-Decena, 52, of Adcock Cemetery Road, was charged with count of Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. His bond was set at $25,000 and he will appear in court on Jan. 8, 2026
