The United States Attorney’s Office held a press conference in Las Cruces to announce the indictment of 10 members of a Guatemalan trans-national human smuggling organization.
Alex Uballez is the United States Attorney in the District of New Mexico. He alleged that members of the “Lopez Crime Family” facilitated the smuggling of migrants from Central America through Mexico to the United States. Uballez said he would not comment on the estimated number of individuals smuggled into the country. However, of the 10 individuals indicted, six are currently in custody.
“We have built a case against all levels of this criminal organization, from the drivers, to the middle-level management, to the money movers and the leaders,” he said.
Uballez would not comment on whether or not the smuggling operations were ongoing in the Las Cruces area, but that crimes were committed in several locations in New Mexico, as well as Arizona and California.
