Guatemala’s Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez said the boys were part of a gang called ‘Los Quiñones’.
The US Division of Justice (DOJ) said on Monday that five Guatemalans were arrested in connection with a 2021 collision involving a semi-trailer truck that resulted in the deaths of more than 50 illegal immigrants.
Arrests of alleged human traffickers have been made in Guatemala and Texas.
The arrests come in the third year since the deadly collision in which a semi-trailer truck carrying 160 migrants – mostly Guatemalan nationals – crashed near Txtla Gutierrez in Chiapas, Mexico, on their way to the US. 100 migrants were also injured after the collision.
The indictment confirmed that six people were arrested in connection with the case, although one of the prominent names was redacted. DOJ discusses the best 5 arrests.
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It says the boys allegedly conspired with alternative smugglers and obtained bills of lading to transport migrants from Guatemala to the US via Mexico between October 2021 and February 2023.
Prosecutors said smugglers communicated through the Facebook Messenger app to solicit and send identification documents for illegal immigrants planning to enter the US.
According to the indictment, illegal immigrants were left at the scene and in microbuses, farm animal vans and tractor trailers. It added that a significant number of trafficking cases relate to unaccompanied minors, and would give scripts and instructions on what to mention if defendants are caught.
According to the DOJ, most illegal immigrants recruited by defendants were among those who died or suffered physical trauma in a truck collision that occurred in Chiapas in 2021.
Guatemala’s Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez said the boys were part of a gang called “Los Quinones” that smuggled illegal immigrants into the US.
Jimenez said the defendants were among those arrested in 15 raids conducted by the Guatemalan government, and the US has asked for their extradition.
All defendants have been convicted in the Southern District of Texas. It is now not established whether he has been appointed a legal professional today or not.
