US Treasury Sanctions Mexico-Based Criminal Group for Smuggling ‘Thousands’ of Migrants Into US

Migrants walk on the US side of the border wall in Jacumba Hot Springs, California after crossing from Mexico on June 5, 2024. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP)

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned a Mexico-based transnational criminal organization allegedly responsible for smuggling thousands of migrants into the United States, the enforcement agency announced on July 18.

The Tijuana-based Abdul Karim Conteh Human Smuggling Organization (Karim HSO) is led by Sierra Leonean national Abdul Karim Conteh (Karim), 42, according to the OFAC.

It is responsible for smuggling thousands of migrants from Africa, China, the Middle East, Russia, Central Asia, and other countries into the U.S., providing them with false documents, and offering them advice on how to illegally enter the country, the agency said.

Mr. Conteh’s wife, Mexican national Veronica Roblero Pivaral (Veronica), 25, also plays a critical role in the organization, including driving migrants to the U.S. border and receiving payments for smuggling operations, according to the agency.

The sanctions against Mr. Conteh and his wife target their financial and property assets in the U.S. and ban U.S. citizens from transactions with them.

Financial institutions that engage in transactions with Mr. Conteh and his wife may be sanctioned, OFAC said.

According to the Justice Department (DOJ), Mr. Conteh was arrested on July 11 in Tijuana, Mexico.

The U.S. government is pursuing his extradition on federal migrant smuggling charges, including conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Migrants Paid Group Thousands of Dollars

They have also charged Mr. Conteh 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 of 15 years in prison, the DOJ noted.

Ms. Pivaral remains at large.

The DOJ and OFAC said the Karim HSO smuggling organization’s reach extended both regionally and across the globe, with the operation even allegedly moving some migrants through Nicaragua.

Migrants often paid tens of thousands of dollars to the organization to be smuggled into the country, and the ring was able to “leverage the U.S. financial system to receive payments for their illicit smuggling operations,” federal officials said.

The OFAC also sanctioned Togolese national Pasaman Francis Marin Abbe Pidoukou and Sierra Leonean national Issa Kamara (Issa), both of whom it said are members of the Karim HSO smuggling organization.

The two are responsible for facilitating the transport of migrants for the organization, the agency said.

In a statement, Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said the levying of sanctions “disrupts the ability of those seeking to exploit and endanger desperate individuals in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones.”

Mr. Nelson said the Treasury Department “remains committed to using our tools to degrade the ability of groups like the Karim HSO to engage in these illicit operations.”

It is not clear if Mr. Conteh has legal representation.

The Epoch Times has contacted the Justice Department for comment.