Five including Indian-origin couple arrested in US over drug, sex trafficking at Virginia motel

American law enforcement agencies arrested five persons, including an Indian-origin couple, for their alleged roles in the criminal activity involving drugs and sex trafficking at a hotel named Red Carpet Inn in Dumfries, Virginia.

They were produced in court on Friday on charges of criminal activity alleged to have taken place in and around the motel.

The Indian-origin couple has been identified as 52-year-old Kosha Sharma and 55-year-old Tarun Sharma. The other three suspects are Margo Waldon Pierce, aka Marko (51), Joshua Roderick, aka Josh (40), and Rashard Perrish Smith, aka Sean/Shawn, B, B-more, or Baltimore (33).

Since May 2023, Kosha Sharma, Tarun Sharma and their company, Kosha LLC, doing business as “Red Carpet Inn,” have leased and operated the motel, according to an official statement citing court documents.

The Sharma couple took a cut of the profits made from illegal activity conducted on the third floor of the hotel, it said.

Between 28 May 2025 and 17 December 2025, law enforcement agencies had conducted nine prostitution encounters and 15 controlled purchases of banned substances, including 11 for fentanyl and the other four for cocaine at the hotel, the statement further said.

“Drug trafficking and sex trafficking devastate communities by exploiting vulnerable individuals and fueling violence and addiction,” Lindsey Halligan, US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in the statement.

“Our office is committed to dismantling criminal enterprises that profit from human suffering. Working alongside our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold offenders accountable and disrupt the cycles of exploitation that threaten our communities,” Halligan added.

The case is being investigated by the FBI, Prince William County Police Department, and the Virginia State Police.

“These arrests stem from a joint investigation between the FBI, the Prince William County Police Department, and the Virginia State Police,” said Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office's Criminal Division.

“I want to thank our partners for the investigative work they have done to further this investigation and to support one of our top priorities — combating violent crime. The FBI will continue to collaborate with federal and local law enforcement agencies to dismantle drug and sex trafficking rings and bring traffickers to justice,” added Davis.

If convicted, the suspects could face a mandatory minimum jail term of 10 years.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.