A Sierra Leone man has been indicted for allegedly smuggling “thousands” of illegal immigrants into the United States by way of the southern border , according to the Department of Justice.
The DOJ unsealed an indictment that contained federal criminal charges against 42-year-old Abdul Karim Conteh of Sierra Leone and alleged he oversaw a human smuggling ring that moved people from countries all around the world, including Western Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, to the U.S.
“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," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement on Thursday. "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.”
Conteh was arrested in the northern Mexico border city of Tijuana, which neighbors San Diego, California, on July 11. He is in the process of being extradited to the U.S.
The Treasury Department has sanctioned Conteh for profits made through his massive smuggling network. Human smuggling is typically facilitated by corporation-size criminal organizations in Mexico, known as cartels. Cartels may charge $5,000 to $50,000 per person depending on whether they are traveling from and other factors.
Conteh and his wife, 25-year-old Mexican national Veronica Roblero Pivaral, moved thousands of people to and through Mexico through their network.
The criminal ring moved immigrants from Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Somalia, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Egypt, and other nations through Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Conteh was accused of using "various surreptitious" illegal means to get people over the border, including by climbing ladders over border wall and through underground tunnels, the DOJ stated.
Conteh, Roblero, and others have been charged with conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the U.S., which could result in up to 10 years in federal prison.
Conteh was also charged with the unlawful smuggling of migrants for financial gain. A first offense for unlawful smuggling is punishable by no less than three years in prison, while any charge thereafter comes with a five- to 15-year sentence per offense.
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“This arrest unravels a global web of coordinated human smuggling into the United States,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath for the Southern District of California said. “Even the most far-reaching, prolific networks cannot evade justice.”
Roblero remains at large in Mexico.
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