Suspected Victory Inn sex trafficking ringleader on the run; alleged girlfriend charged

The alleged girlfriend of a man wanted for pimping out women and keeping them hooked on heroin at a Detroit area motel was in federal court on Wednesday on charges that she helped him cover his tracks.

Lena Sled, 61, was in a federal court on Wednesday on accusations that she helped Darrick Bell hide from federal authorities. Authorities claim that Bell, aka 'Tone', is the center of a major human trafficking ring that was busted at the Victory Inn in January.

Bell is accused of dealing drugs, pimping out women and keeping them high on heroin while forcing them into the sex trade against their will.

Detroit woman charged with harboring leader of Victory Inn drug, sex ring

The feds claim Sled is Bell's girlfriend and she was helping him hide out. Sled says she doesn't know where Bell is.

"They know i can't tell them anything. They know that I don't know," Sled told FOX 2 outside of federal court.

Investigators say she's a key defendant in the case. They also say that Bell and Sled kept in touch via flip phone that he gave her, but that's not all. They also say he recently had been staying at her home and that the two shared bank accounts and credit cards.  When the bust came down at the Victory Inn in January, authorities say Sled traveled to Florida and elsewhere.

"Well I can't comment on it - I wish I could - but I can't comment on it right now. It's all going to come out," Sled said.

Police raid Detroit's Victory Inn motel for drugs, prostitution

She says she's known Bell for many years and on Thursday, she appeared to be telling him to turn himself in.

"You gotta do what's right, that's all you can do. You got a lot of peoples hurting," she said.

Sled is free on bond but must surrender her enhanced license and wear a GPS tether. Her attorney says they're convinced the allegations against her will be proven false.

"Just because they say it's so doesn't make it so.  We're looking forward to her being vindicated in all of this," Lillian Diallo said.

Bell, a convicted killer, is wanted in the trafficking ring and has been on the run for months. Anyone with information abou this location is asked to call officials.