BATON ROUGE — A man connected to a multi-parish human trafficking and prostitution operation has been arrested by East Baton Rouge Parish deputies, a week after several other arrests connected to the illegal operation. 

Edyn Arevalo, 52, was arrested Thursday after he was allegedly paid between $600 and $700 a week to help with the human trafficking operation allegedly spearheaded by 40-year-old Maurilio Vargas. The operation involved trafficked women acting as prostitutes to "clients" who would coordinate sexual encounters via the messaging app WhatsApp.

Vargas, who was arrested alongside his wife Zabdi Guzman-Diaz, allegedly operated the operation out of a Holt Avenue apartment in Baton Rouge, as well as an address in Kenner and another in Baton Rouge. Three women were found after raids on addresses, two in Baton Rouge and one in Kenner, WBRZ reported.

Arevalo's role in the operation was to provide security for and collect money from the women that the operation trafficked, deputies wrote in an affidavit. 

Arevalo told deputies that he was approached by Vargas with a job opportunity after Arevalo was out of work following an injury. He told deputies that he would always be near the trafficked women while they were acting as prostitutes because "he didn't want anything to happen to the women." 

Once the "client" left, he would collect money from the women, Arevalo told deputies. 

He did this collection and security work in New Orleans, Arevalo said, noting that he would drive to Baton Rouge to give the money to Vargas before returning for a second week of work. 

Arevalo was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on pandering, promoting prostitution and human trafficking charges. According to jail records, he has not posted bond.