Human smuggling operation cracked by Justice Department

July 26 (UPI) -- Eight members of a human smuggling ring that operates in Guatemala, Mexico and the United States were indicted and two were arrested, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

The Lopez Human Smuggling Operation is a well-known criminal operation based in Guatemala and has been a focus of U.S. authorities since 2017.

The organization has smuggled thousands of people from Guatemala, through Mexico and into the United States. The organization has operated primarily in New Mexico, Arizona and California, but has a presence in parts of Texas.

Migrants have been transported as far away as Virginia and other states not close to the U.S.-Mexico border.

"The Lopez HSO sought to smuggle thousands of migrants into the United States through an illegal transnational operation that exploited those in search of a better life for themselves and their families," Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement .

A federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico returned an indictment in May of last year against the smuggling operation leader Ronaldo Galindo Lopez Escobar for conspiracy to bring in, transport and harbor illegal migrants.

The following month, U.S. officials arrested six alleged human smugglers in an enforcement operation that included Arizona and California.

The Lopez operation allegedly bought fraudulent Mexican documents and paid cartel fees to get migrants through Mexico and into the United States where they were taken to different locations.

"The leaders of the organization relied on several U.S. banks and money service businesses to receive payment from the family members of those being smuggled and to pay other members of the organization, located in Mexico and Guatemala, for their smuggling services," the Justice Department said.

Lopez and his accomplices all face prison terms ranging from 10 to 20 years.