US authorities are on the trail of Mexican Veronica Roblero Piraval, 25 years old, found in search and seizure, after being accused, along with her husband, of leading a human trafficking organization responsible for illegally bringing thousands of immigrants from other continents to the United States.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) this week filed charges against Roblero Piraval and her husband, Abdul Karim Conteh, 42 years olds, a citizen of Sierra Leone, according to court documents consulted by EFE on Friday.
The couple leads an organization that supposedly csmuggled thousands of migrants to the United States through Mexico, the indictment says.
The migrants, who paid thousands of dollars, came from countries around the world, including Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Somalia, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Egypt and others.
Smugglers transported migrants to through several countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, on their way to the United States, the indictment says.
Roblero Piraval, her husband, and other conspirators allegedly facilitated the transportation of the migrants into and through Mexico to the southern border with the United States.
Conteh allegedly oversaw the irregular entry of migrants into the United States through a variety of illegal means, including the use of ladders and tunnels, the DOJ said.
The suspect was arrested on July 11 in Tijuana, Mexico. US authorities have requested his extradition on federal charges.
However, Roblero Pivaral is wanted, the DOJ said.
In addition to the indictment, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added the couple’s organization to its sanctions list.
U.S. Attorney Merrick B. Garland said in a statement that the organization run by the couple is believed to have “smuggled thousands of migrants from more than a dozen different countries through Mexico into the United States.”
For his part, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas explained that the Administration of President Joe Biden has joined forces with other governments to stop this crime as part of efforts to stop irregular migration.
“Do not believe the lies of the traffickers and risk your lives in their ruthless hands,” he said in a message to migrants.
