On Monday, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California, announced that it had arrested an illegal immigrant from Guatemala for allegedly running one of the largest human smuggling organizations in the country. It's believed that he's been in business for at least 12 years and smuggled over 20,000 Guatemalans into the U.S. over five years.
BREAKING: A Guatemalan illegal alien who has been living in the sanctuary city of Los Angeles has been arrested & indicted by DOJ for allegedly running one of the largest human smuggling orgs in the U.S., a ring that smuggled roughly 20,000 illegal aliens from Guatemala into the… pic.twitter.com/2f9ihOr9fv
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 3, 2025
51-year-old Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, also known as "Turko," lived and worked out of the Westlake neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles. Yes, this Los Angeles:
No one should live in fear due to their immigration status.
— Mayor Karen Bass (@MayorOfLA) February 24, 2025
Los Angeles is a City of immigrants and we will continue to stand together.
He didn't act alone. The feds also arrested his "right-hand man," 49-year-old Cristobal Mejia-Chaj, and they pressed charges against 41-year-old Helmer Obispo-Hernandez, a lieutenant in the organization who is currently a fugitive, and 44-year-old Jose Paxtor-Oxlaj, a driver for the organization, who is currently in jail in Oklahoma. Paxtor-Oxlaj had already been deported once in 2010.
All four men are from Guatemala and are living in the United States illegally. "All four defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States, transporting aliens in the United States, and harboring aliens in the United States for private financial gain and resulting in death. Additionally, Renoj-Matul and Mejia-Chaj are charged with two counts of hostage taking. Obispo-Hernandez and Paxtor-Oxlaj also are charged with one count of transporting aliens in the United States for private financial gain and resulting in death," according to the DOJ.
These guys also worked in conjunction with Mexican smuggling organizations. They were paid fees up to $18,000 for each person they snuck into the United States. When someone they brought in couldn't pay, they allegedly held them hostage in stash houses and even threatened to kill them. These actions ultimately led to the death of seven people, including a four-year-old child and two other minors, in a car accident in Elk City, Okla., in 2023, which is why Paxtor-Oxlaj, who was driving the car, is currently in jail.
It's believed that Renoj-Matul "specialized in the smuggling of illegal immigrants from Guatemala to the United States, the transportation and movement of those illegal immigrants within the United States – especially between Phoenix and Los Angeles – and the harboring, concealing, and shielding of illegal immigrants within the United States."
If the men are convicted of all charges, they could face life in prison or even the death penalty.
Joseph T. McNally, acting U.S. attorney, pointed out that this criminal organization is a danger to the public and law enforcement, and it has no regard for human life.
These smuggling organizations have no regard for human life and their conduct kills. Their members pose a danger to the public and law enforcement. We must vigorously enforce our immigration laws so that these organizations cannot operate. The indictment and arrests here have dismantled one of the country’s largest and most dangerous smuggling organizations. This work saves lives, and the members of the organization will now face significant consequences.
It's not exactly the rosy picture Democrats like to paint when talking about illegal immigration, is it? By allowing men like this to operate, they put so many lives in danger, including U.S. citizens, people in Mexico and Central America who live along these smuggling routes, and the people who become victims to these types of operations.
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