A drug cartel member has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison after she smuggled victims, including children, to Highland Park from Mexico and held them captive while forcing them to work.
Gladys Ibanez-Olea, 37, of Highland Park, was charged in Lake County Circuit Court in February 2024 with eight counts of trafficking in persons and seven counts of involuntary servitude.
The case was transferred to federal court months later where nearly two dozen charges were filed against her, including bringing in and harboring aliens and forced labor.
The Highland Park Police Department received a tip in late January 2024 regarding potential human trafficking occurring at a residence in the 500 block of Onwentsia Avenue in Highland Park.
An initial investigation determined the tip had merit and warranted a referral to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Special Investigation Group (SIG) for further investigation, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Chief Christopher Covelli said at the time.
Members of SIG, Highland Park Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations conducted further investigation and obtained substantial evidence showing Ibanez-Olea was engaged in human trafficking, Covelli said.
Detectives presented the evidence obtained to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office, which approved and drafted a search warrant for Ibanez-Olea’s residence.
SIG, Highland Park Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the search warrant in February 2024.
Covelli said additional evidence was located showing Ibanez-Olea’s involvement in having trafficked four people from Mexico.
All four victims were rescued, including a 19-year-old woman and her two-year-old son, as well as a 22-year-old woman and her 15-year-old brother.
All four were relocated to safety and were receiving services.
Covelli said the investigation revealed Ibanez-Olea arranged for the four to be illegally escorted into the United States in July 2023.
Federal prosecutors said Ibanez-Olea served as a mid-level member of the Juarez Cartel.
Neither of the adult victims knew each other at the time nor did the juvenile victims know each other.
Covelli said Ibanez-Olea promised housing, safety and jobs to the four and took possession of their identification, money and other goods after they arrived.
Ibanez-Olea forced the adult victims and the 15-year-old into jobs to pay off their “debt” for safe entry into the United States.
The victims were forced to give the money they earned to Ibanez-Olea, Covelli said.
Covelli said the “debt” they owed Ibanez-Olea continually grew and it appeared very unlikely they would be able to pay off the “debt.”
“The victims were under the control of Olea. There were padlocks around the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator in order to control what the victims ate and when they ate,” Covelli said.
Ibanez-Olea also forced the 15-year-old victim to work rather than attend school, Covelli said. She created fraudulent identification for him to make it appear he was 19 years old.
Federal prosecutors said the human trafficking scheme occurred from September 2022 to February 2024.
She would recruit victims in Mexico, arrange for them to be smuggled into the United States and then harbor them in her home in Highland Park, prosecutors said.
Ibanez-Olea forced the victims to work, took any income they earned to pay off debts she claimed the victims owed and effectively held the victims in captivity under harsh conditions as she continued to demand they pay her, they added.
According to statements made to investigators, Ibanez-Olea would prevent the two-year-old from falling asleep during the day by giving him cold baths in order to make the toddler sleep longer during nighttime hours.
The victims were told their remaining family in Mexico would be killed if they did not continue to comply with Ibanez-Olea, Covelli said.
Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg called human trafficking a “real problem across the United States and right here in Lake County.”
“I am thankful these four victims were saved from their abuser and are no longer living in fear. Traffickers prey on the vulnerabilities of their victims. They exploit their victims for personal gain,” Idleburg said.
“Our Special Investigations Group has rescued a number of victims over the last several years, and rescuing victims while holding traffickers accountable remains a top priority,” he added.
Ibanez-Olea pleaded guilty in February to federal charges of illegally bringing unauthorized aliens into the United States and forcing individuals to work by means of serious harm or abuse and threats of serious harm or abuse.
Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart called labor and sex trafficking some of the “most detestable crimes in our community.”
“The Sheriff’s Department, Highland Park Police, and our federal partners collaborated successfully with our office through our Human Trafficking Task Force to bring this offender into custody. Our office is dedicated to finding, prosecuting, and incarcerating those who would use others for their own financial gain,” Rinehart said.
Prosecutors argued for a 114-month prison sentence based on evidence of Ibanez-Olea’s cruel treatment of her victims, threats she made to victims that she would kill their families and sell them into slavery, and evidence showing she was a willing participant in the Juarez Cartel’s scheme.
U.S. District Judge Robert W. Gettleman sentenced Ibanez-Olea on Tuesday to 108 months in prison, finding the sentence was appropriate given the aggravating facts raised by prosecutors.
“[D]efendant used her role as a recruiter in the cartel to create a cadre of indentured servants whose entire salaries belonged to defendant,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elie Zenner argued in a sentencing memorandum.
“She took advantage of extremely vulnerable victims—women and children who were desperate to come to America and found themselves trapped in a cycle of debt, threats, and mistreatment,” Zenner said.
Highland Park Police Chief Lou Jogmen said the investigation began because of a community tip.
“It underscores how vital it is for community members to speak up if someone’s actions or behaviors seem suspicious. Together, we can work to build safer communities where everyone can thrive,” Jogmen said.