Through coordinated work and interagency efforts between the Public Ministry, security forces, the HSI-ICE International Agencies, and the U.S. Department of Justice, the Specialized International Affairs Unit delivered to the U.S. authorities four persons related to human trafficking.
They are Felipe Diego Alonzo, alias Siete; Nesly Norberto Martínez Gómez, alias Canche; López, Mateo Mateo, alias Bud Light; and Juan Gutiérrez Castro, arrested in August 2022 in an operation that led to the dismantling of the structure known as Alfa Siete, through an investigation carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office against the Smuggling of Migrants.
During the operation, the prosecutor’s office was able to document 11 criminal events and arrest 15 other people.
They allegedly conspired with other smugglers to facilitate the travel of large numbers of migrants from Guatemala through Mexico and ultimately to the United States, charging the migrants and their families approximately USD 10,000 to USD 12,000 for the dangerous journey. They are accused of the death of a young Guatemalan indigenous woman who died in Texas in May 2021.
The Justice Department defined the extradition as historic, remarking that this is the first extradition in the last five years from Guatemala to the United States related to human trafficking.
The Public Ministry reiterates its commitment to bringing justice to Guatemalan citizens and urges them to report any crime related to the smuggling of migrants at the offices of the Public Ministry nationwide, on the website: www.mp.gob.gt and on the App Reportes MP.
