NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Investigators said a young woman was held as a sex slave and tortured for years in Nashville and other cities across the southeast.

Video: Men Accused In Multiple-State Sex Operation

The 22-year-old woman was driven between Tennessee, Georgia and Florida in an effort to confuse her about her whereabouts since January 2005, said investigators.

The woman was forced to engage in prostitution with up to seven men a day, according to court records.

Investigators said she was tortured, stabbed and cut with an ice pick to maintain her obedience.

"The account given by this woman is very, very disturbing. There are those who say prostitution is a victimless crime. But we know prostitution involves drug addiction, alcohol addiction and in some situations, sexual slavery. That's what appears to have happened here from this woman's account," said Don Aaron, Metro police spokesman.

Jesus Garcia and Arturo Perez are charged in the case, which came to light a few weeks ago during a prostitution sting. The men are said to have told the woman they would kill her family in Mexico and her sister in Atlanta if she didn't follow their orders.

"It's a very disturbing situation. Certainly it's not the first time it's occurred in the United States, but anytime you hear this, it's a very serious, serious matter," said Aaron.

The two men and the woman are believed to be from Mexico and are in the United States illegally.

For now, they will remain in middle Tennessee. After a court hearing, it will be determined what course of action will be taken.

The two men are the first to be charged by Metro police under a new sexual servitude law that took effect this summer.