Federal agents arrested two Guatemalan men on Friday, accusing them of running one of the largest human smuggling operations in the United States.
The two were greeted near downtown Los Angeles and have been accused of moving 20,000 illegal immigrants from Guatemala to the United States since 2019.
Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul and Cristobal Mejia-Chaj each appeared in federal court hours after their arrest, with the judge ordering that each of them not be held captive. If convicted, they could each face the death penalty.
“These smuggling organizations do not consider the murder of human lives and their actions,” said US lawyer Joseph McNally. “The indictment and arrests here have dismantled one of the nation's largest and most dangerous smuggling organizations. This work has saved lives and members of the organization will now face serious consequences.”
Deported a Guatemalan man who was previously arrested in New York and was found guilty of a crime in the United States
Helmer Obispo Hernandez, known as the “middle li” of a smuggling operation, is said to have threatened to cut off the heads of federal agents last week. (US Lawyers Office – Los Angeles)
Two other men are also charged in the case. Jose Pakstor Oxraj is behind a bar in Oklahoma for his role in the 2023 car accident, which killed seven immigrants, including five from the same family, and in the 2023 car accident that killed Obispo Hernandez, who is said to be “intermediate EU” in a smuggling operation.
“Every day, similar human smuggling organizations benefit more than the security of these reckless and illegal efforts,” said the Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Los Angeles on a special agent responsible for John Pasiucco. “HSI Los Angeles and our partners are committed to continuing to identify and dismantle these organizations, so no further lives will be lost and our borders are safe.”
Homeland Security Investigation Los Angeles said it is representing a special agent responsible for John Pasiucco. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency)
Prosecutors claim that Renoj-Matul, who was run under the name Turko, was the mastermind behind the operation. He worked with his Guatemalan counterparts, and immigrants charged between $15,000 and $18,000 for a safe passage into the United States.
Once here, immigrants were again billed for additional transports nationwide. Renoj-Matul's indictment alleges that under his direction, immigrants have been moved to at least 20 states, and Washington, DC, has been moved
Guatemala, ready for further deportation under Trump, says “We know it's coming.”
The immigrants who did not pay are believed to have been held hostage at a hideout in the same Los Angeles neighbourhood where Renoj-Matul and Mejia-Chaj were arrested.
Ring leader Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, who travels through “Turko,” is said to have worked with his Guatemalan counterpart, who charges between $15,000 and $18,000 for a safe passage to the United States. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)
In one case last year, prosecutors allegedly called Rinoj Mathur holding the immigrant mother hostage, threatening to “go home to the box” if smuggling fees were not paid.
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Obispo-Hernandez remains massive and faces additional charges to threaten to cut off the head of the Homeland Security Agent who served as a search warrant at his home on Friday.
