The alleged leader of a transnational human trafficking organization has been arrested, federal prosecutors announced Thursday, while his wife remains at large.
Abdul Karim Conteh, 42, of Sierra Leone, was arrested last week in Tijuana, Mexico at the request of U.S. authorities. Prosecutors are seeking his extradition to San Diego to face charges.
“This arrest unravels a global web of coordinated human smuggling into the United States,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California said in a statement. “Even the most far-reaching, prolific networks cannot evade justice.”
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Mexican authorities worked to secure his arrest.
Authorities allege he ran the organization with his wife, Veronica Roblero Pivaral, 25. The Mexican national remains at large as of Thursday afternoon.
The couple allegedly worked together, along with other co-conspirators, to smuggle thousands of migrants into the U.S., according to a June 2022 grand jury indictment unsealed Wednesday. The migrants originated from various countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Turkey. They did not have official authorization from the American government to come, enter or reside in the country.
“The migrants paid money, often tens of thousands of dollars, to be transported through various countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala,” the indictment states.
Mr. Conteh oversaw their illegal entry at the southern border through various means, including the use of ladders and tunnels, while his wife played critical roles such as driving migrants to the southern border and receiving payments for smuggling operations, the indictment alleges.
“Human smugglers exploit the vulnerable for profit,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a statement. “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.”
The couple has been charged with conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States. The offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
Mr. Conteh has also been charged with the unlawful smuggling of migrants for financial gain, which carries a mandatory minimum of three years in prison for the first two violations.
It is unclear if the defendant has an attorney.
Other co-conspirators, whose names were redacted from the unsealed indictment, have been charged with conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States.