Leader of massive human smuggling operation used 'ladders and tunnels' to sneak thousands across US border, feds say

The Department of Justice indicted a man from Sierra Leone and accused him of leading a large human smuggling organization that brought thousands of undocumented migrants into the United States.

The document details that Abdul Karim Conteh was arrested last week in Tijuana at the request of the U.S. government, which is currently seeking his extradition to file several charges against him. He has also been subjected to financial sanctions by the Department of Treasury. His wife, Mexican Verónica Roblero Pivaral, remains at large and is also being sought after by authorities.

"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," said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a statement.

According to the indictment, many of the migrants transported by Conteh's organization came from Asian and African countries. They paid thousands of dollars to be taken through "various countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, on the way to the U.S.-Mexico border."

The man then allegedly "oversaw the migrants' unlawful entry into the United States by various surreptitious and unlawful means, including the use of ladders and tunnels," the document adds.

Conteh has been charged with conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States and with unlawful smuggling of migrants for financial gain. If found guilty, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison for the first crime and to up to 15 for the second one.

Following the indictment, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas again urged migrants to not engage with smuggling networks. "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," he said.