FBI and DEA Uncover Terrifying Human Trafficking Network in New York Mansion: 400 Victims Rescued, International Crime Syndicate Exposed

In the peaceful and affluent neighborhood of Westchester County, New York, a shocking nightmare was uncovered that shattered the illusion of suburban tranquility.

Behind the gates of a $12 million estate, federal agents found a horrifying human trafficking operation that had been running silently for seven years.

The sprawling mansion, owned by a shell company named Apex Haven LLC, was the epicenter of a global criminal network that enslaved over 400 men, women, and children in a hidden, windowless basement.

The investigation began with a seemingly routine maintenance call.

Marcus Chin, an HVAC technician, noticed a suspicious steel door with a keypad lock in the basement, behind which he heard voices.

Despite warnings to ignore the situation, Chin contacted the FBI.

This tip initiated a months-long surveillance operation that revealed the estate was a hub for trafficking victims brought in through compromised ports and distributed to labor sites across the United States.

On the early morning of September 12th, 2024, a massive joint operation involving more than 200 agents from the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Marshals unfolded under heavy fog.

The agents simultaneously breached the mansion’s front and rear entrances using battering rams and flashbang grenades, overcoming a paramilitary-level private security team armed with assault rifles.

Within 90 seconds, the estate was secured, but the true horror awaited below.

Behind a reinforced steel door resembling a bank vault, agents discovered a grim underground detention center.

The basement contained 412 people crammed into rooms designed for only 15 occupants each.

The victims—men, women, and children—were living in squalid conditions, sleeping on concrete floors with only buckets for toilets.

Many were reported missing persons from across the Midwest, some falsely labeled as runaways, while others were forced into labor or held captive.

The FBI dubbed the investigation “Operation Locked Gate,” which exposed not only the physical imprisonment but also the vast criminal enterprise behind it.

This syndicate, known as the Somalian Mafia, laundered an estimated $43 million through complex financial channels, including 63 shell companies incorporated by a Manhattan lawyer named David Shriber.

Shriber’s role extended far beyond legal counsel; he actively advised the cartel on structuring wire transfers to evade detection and facilitated money laundering via real estate investments in Miami and Seattle.

In the early hours of September 12th, 2024, a massive law enforcement operation shattered the calm of a pristine Westchester County estate, revealing a grim reality hidden beneath its opulent facade.

Known to neighbors as a quiet residence owned by Apex Haven LLC, the sprawling villa was, in fact, a hub for one of the most extensive human trafficking networks ever uncovered in the United States.

The FBI’s joint terrorism task force, working alongside the DEA and U.S. Marshals, executed a meticulously planned raid involving over 200 agents.

The operation, dubbed “Locked Gate,” was the culmination of nine months of surveillance and intelligence gathering.

Agents breached the mansion’s fortified entrances using battering rams and flashbangs, quickly neutralizing a paramilitary security detail composed of former Somali National Army soldiers armed with assault rifles.

The real shock awaited in the basement—a fortified, high-density detention facility behind a steel vault-like door.

Inside, agents found 412 men, women, and children crammed into windowless rooms designed for a fraction of that number.

These victims, many reported missing from across the Midwest, were held in deplorable conditions, forced into labor, and stripped of their freedom.

The air was thick with the stench of sweat and despair, and the psychological trauma was palpable.

This villa was not merely a holding site; it functioned as the command center for a sprawling criminal syndicate known as the Somalian Mafia, a global network that had laundered an estimated $43 million and orchestrated a vast human trafficking operation spanning multiple states.

The syndicate’s reach extended far beyond the walls of the Westchester estate, implicating a web of corrupt officials, legal professionals, and international operatives.

Central to this operation was a Manhattan attorney named David Shriber, who played a pivotal role in laundering money through 63 shell companies registered in Delaware.

Shriber’s involvement went beyond traditional legal counsel; he actively advised the cartel on structuring wire transfers to evade detection by federal authorities.

His office, located in a Midtown skyscraper, was raided simultaneously with the Westchester estate, leading to his arrest.

Despite claiming attorney-client privilege, incriminating emails and financial records seized during the raid dismantled his defense.