Leaders of One of Largest Human Smuggling Rings Busted by Law Enforcement
The leader and top deputy of one of the largest human smuggling organizations in the United States are under arrest, thanks to the work of law enforcement.
The men are accused of leading a criminal enterprise that smuggled migrants from Guatemala into the United States, charging each person as much as $18,000 to make the trip.
Prosecutors say that between 2019-2024 alone, the group smuggled as many as 20,000 migrants illegally into the U.S., sending them to stash houses and other destinations nationwide. The scheme operated for approximately a dozen years.
Police in Los Angeles arrested Guatemalan nationals Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, known as “Turko,” and his lieutenant Cristoban Mejia-Chaj in late February. Both pleaded not guilty. They were ordered held without bond until their April trial.
Prosecutors say the criminal network was responsible for the deaths of seven migrants, including a four-year-old child, in a November 2023 vehicle crash in Oklahoma, as they were transported from New York to Los Angeles. The driver in that crash was charged in the California indictment. He is being held in Oklahoma. A fourth Guatemalan national was also charged and is believed to be at large in Guatemala.
“These smuggling organizations have no regard for human life and their conduct kills,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally of the Central District of California. “The indictment and arrests here have dismantled one of the country’s largest and most dangerous smuggling organizations.”
According to court documents, Renoj-Matul used associates on the ground in Guatemala to scout potential victims he could exploit. The victims then paid between $15,000 to $18,000 to be smuggled into the U.S. Migrants who paid were moved to stash houses. Those who didn’t were held in a house in the Westlake neighborhood in Los Angeles.
"If an illegal alien's smuggling fees were not paid, defendants Renoj-Matul and Mejia-Chaj, and unindicted co-conspirators, would hold that illegal alien against their will at the Wood House until their fee was paid," according to the indictment.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSIs) El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, HSI’s Figueroa Initiative Gang and Human Trafficking Task Force, the United States Border Patrol, and the Inglewood, California Police Department are investigating.
“HSI Los Angeles and our partners are committed to continue identifying and dismantling these organizations so no further lives are lost and our borders are secure,” said HSI Los Angeles Acting Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco.