Alleged Transnational Human Smuggler Indicted and Sanctioned in the United States and Arrested in Mexico

An indictment was unsealed yesterday containing criminal charges against the alleged leader of a human smuggling organization responsible for unlawfully bringing thousands of migrants into the United States. Along with the organization, the defendant, who was arrested in Mexico at the request of the United States, has also been designated for financial sanctions by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. These developments were made possible through extensive bilateral coordination and cooperation efforts between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement authorities.

Abdul Karim Conteh, 42, a national of Sierra Leone, was arrested on July 11 in Tijuana, Mexico. The United States is pursuing Conteh’s extradition on federal charges stemming from his alleged actions in leading the human smuggling organization. His wife, Veronica Roblero Pivaral, 25, a national of Mexico, remains at large.

“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,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “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.”

“Human smugglers exploit the vulnerable for profit,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “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 the indictment, Conteh’s organization allegedly smuggled thousands of migrants to the United States through Mexico. These smuggled migrants originated from countries around the world, including Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Somalia, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Egypt, and others. The migrants paid smuggling fees, often tens of thousands of dollars, to be transported through various countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, on the way to the U.S.-Mexico border.

“This arrest unravels a global web of coordinated human smuggling into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California. “Even the most far-reaching, prolific networks cannot evade justice.”

Conteh allegedly coordinated with Roblero and co-conspirators throughout Mexico and other countries to facilitate the global transportation of migrants into and through Mexico to the U.S. border. Conteh then allegedly oversaw the migrants’ unlawful entry into the United States by various surreptitious and unlawful means, including the use of ladders and tunnels.

Conteh, Roblero, and others are charged with conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Conteh is also 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. Additional violations carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.

In addition, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added the Abdul Karim Conteh Human Smuggling Organization (HSO) and four individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13851, as amended by E.O. 13863 (E.O. 13581, as amended). For additional information on actions taken by OFAC, please visit www.home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy2470.

The U.S. Border Patrol, HSI, and IRS Criminal Investigation Los Angeles Field Office are investigating this case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with the Mexican authorities to secure Conteh’s arrest.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan A. Sausedo and David E. Fawcett for the Southern District of California are prosecuting the case, with substantial assistance from Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.

These actions resulted from the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA). Attorney General Merrick B. Garland established JTFA in June 2021 to marshal the investigative and prosecutorial resources of the Justice Department, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to combat the rise in prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. JTFA comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, the District of Arizona, the District of New Mexico, and the Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by numerous components of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, with additional support by the Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training; the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; the Office of Enforcement Operations; the Office of International Affairs; and the Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, DEA, and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 310 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of human smuggling; more than 250 U.S. convictions; more than 185 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.