Guatemala arrests 25 police officers involved in human trafficking network

Guatemalan security agents arrested 25 individuals, most of them active police officers, linked to a human trafficking network. This network operated along a route frequented by migrants heading to the United States, according to Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez on Tuesday. Guatemala has long served as a major transit point for migrants from Latin America and other regions heading north to the Mexico-U.S. border.

Of those arrested, two were retired police officers and 11 civilians faced charges including money laundering for a group known as “Los Rs.” Authorities revealed that the group had been active for several years, amassing millions of quetzals, the local currency. Jimenez said in a video message that the organization exploited police officers, bribing them to ensure the safe passage of trafficked people across the country.

The Interior Ministry stressed that the prior arrest of two individuals who illegally transported ten migrants from Uzbekistan through Guatemala led to the operation to dismantle the network. Four vehicles, a firearm and cash were confiscated. The ministry did not specify the origins or destinations of the illegal migrants.

Guatemala has taken 25 police measures against migrant smuggling https://t.co/WuKjVufjrq

— The Voice of Italy (@voceditalia) October 2, 2024

Jimenez stressed that the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security collaborated in the investigation. The US Embassy mentioned on X that the human trafficking ring had exploited nearly 10,000 migrants.

In August, Panama launched U.S.-funded migrant deportation flights, part of Washington’s efforts to stem the flow of people traveling to its southern border, many of whom seek better economic conditions and better security. The same month, Guatemalan and American authorities announced the joint dismantling of another human trafficking network. This network had ties to the 2022 tragedy where 53 migrants were found dead in a sweltering truck in Texas.