Oregon Was a Haven for Illegal Aliens Brought into the United States by Guatemalan Smugglers
Oregon is among 26 states in America to which illegal aliens from Guatemala, Mexico, other Central American countries, and Asia were smuggled over the past four years.
Eight Guatemalans Indicted
Eight nationals from Guatemala were indicted for allegedly accepting money to smuggle illegal aliens in the United States.
According to a U.S. Attorney’s office press release, the smugglers were taken into custody in Charlotte, North Carolina; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Clarksville, Arkansas; Sallisaw, Oklahoma; and Flagstaff, Arizona. They are all facing charges of bringing, transporting, and concealing aliens in the U.S.
Two of the eight suspects, Ottoniel Castro Argueta (33) and Cidia Marleny Lima Lopez (39) are also charged with using the proceeds from the conspiracy to undertake monetary transactions.
On arrival in the U.S., The defendants helped to hide the aliens on their arrival in the U.S, Apart from Oregon, the other states in which the smugglers hid illegal immigrants were Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.
Aliens Paid $5,000 Each to Come to the U.S.
The indictment alleges that several associates in South and Central America accepted payments of about $5,000 for each alien smuggled into the country illegally. The proceeds were laundered using banks and mobile applications, according to the press release.
The case was part of Operation Take Back America, investigated and prosecuted by the Homeland Security Task Force (assisted by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security), established by President Donald Trump to protect the American People Against Invasion.
Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that employs the resources of the Department of Justice to end the smuggling of illegal aliens and to stop the operations of transnational criminal cartels.
Apart from the two suspects who are facing additional charges, the other defendants are Veronica Maribel Lima Lopez (33), Esvin Alexander Rodriguez Luis (26), Ariz Obdulio Argueta (28), Cesar Rodolfo Garcia Argueta (20), Pedro Cucul Gualna (25), and Carlos Enrique Ramos Caal, (30).