On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that the alleged leader of an international human smuggling ring responsible for bringing thousands of migrants into the country had been arrested in Mexico.
The defendant, Abdul Karim Conteh, 42, a Sierra Leone national, was arrested on July 11 in Tijuana, Mexico, officials said. The U.S. is pursuing Conteh’s extradition on federal charges of conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States, as well as unlawful smuggling of migrants for financial gain, and other violations. Conteh’s wife, Veronica Roblero Pivaral, 25, is also wanted for human trafficking allegations and remains at large.
“Human smugglers exploit the vulnerable for profit,” U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said. “Along with our partners across this Administration and around the world, we are bringing the full force of the law to bear against the individuals and their organizations that perpetrate this heinous crime. We couple our unrelenting efforts with this warning to would-be migrants everywhere: do not believe the smuggler’s lies and risk your lives in their ruthless hands.”
According to DHS, Conteh’s organization is thought to have smuggled thousands of migrants from countries around the world, including Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Somalia, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Egypt and others to the U.S. via Mexico. Officials said the migrants paid smuggling fees, often as much as tens of thousands of dollars, to be transported through countries like Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, on the way to the border.
“In coordination with our law enforcement partners, the Justice Department has worked relentlessly to target and disrupt the unlawful, transnational human smuggling operations that endanger migrants and threaten our national security,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said. “We allege Abdul Karim Conteh and his organization smuggled thousands of migrants from more than a dozen different countries through Mexico into the United States. He has been arrested for his alleged role in this prolific, exploitive smuggling operation by Mexican authorities, and the Justice Department will ensure that he is held accountable in an American courtroom.”