Indian-origin motel owners Kosha Sharma and Tarun Sharma allegedly ran a drug and sex trafficking racket from their Virginia Red Carpet Inn, leading to a major FBI raid and arrests.
Federal and local law enforcement agencies raided the Red Carpet Inn, leading to the arrest of five people, including an Indian-origin married couple accused of running the operation from inside the property. (Photo: Social Media)
What appeared to be a routine roadside motel in Virginia has now emerged as the centre of a major sex trafficking and drug distribution case in the United States. After months of undercover surveillance, federal and local law enforcement agencies raided the Red Carpet Inn, leading to the arrest of five people, including an Indian-origin married couple accused of running the operation from inside the property.
Investigators allege that the motel was quietly divided into zones, with regular guests housed on lower floors, while the upper floor allegedly functioned as a hub for prostitution, fentanyl sales, and criminal coordination. At the centre of it all, authorities say, were Kosha Sharma and Tarun Sharma, the couple who leased and operated the motel.
Kosha Sharma, 52, and Tarun Sharma, 55, are an Indian-origin couple who, according to court records, have been running the Red Carpet Inn since May 2023 through their company, Kosha LLC. Prosecutors say the two were not just motel operators but active facilitators of the illegal activities taking place inside the property.
Kosha Sharma, also known by aliases “Ma” or “Mama K”, allegedly played a key role in managing the day-to-day functioning of the operation. Police say she personally directed customers seeking sex or drugs to rooms on the third floor and warned occupants when law-enforcement officers were nearby, often preventing officers from entering rooms.
Tarun Sharma, known as “Pop” or “Pa”, allegedly supported the operation and benefited financially from it. Authorities claim the couple took a share of profits generated through prostitution and drug sales conducted at the motel.
According to court documents, the third floor of the motel served as the main hub for illegal activity, while unsuspecting guests stayed on lower levels. Undercover officers, posing as clients, pimps, and sex workers, visited the motel multiple times over several months as part of the investigation.
Investigators say at least eight women were prostituted from the motel. The women were allegedly not allowed to leave freely and were subjected to physical abuse, adding to the seriousness of the charges.
Prices for sex reportedly ranged from $80 to $150, with payments coordinated through individuals linked to the operation.
The motel was not just a prostitution site. Law-enforcement agencies conducted 15 controlled drug purchases during the undercover operation. These included 11 fentanyl deals and four cocaine transactions, all allegedly linked to the network operating inside the motel.
Court filings state:
“The complaint alleges that Margo Waldon Pierce, aka Marko, distributed the illegal narcotics in all 15 controlled purchases,”
Along with Kosha and Tarun Sharma, three others were arrested:
Authorities allege that Smith and others directly handled prostitution arrangements, while Pierce managed drug distribution.
All five accused face charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. A federal judge will determine the final sentence after considering statutory guidelines.
The case has drawn attention to how legitimate businesses can be used as fronts for organised crime — and how long-term undercover work helped unravel what investigators describe as a carefully hidden operation.
