Two alleged leaders of a criminal organization suspected of smuggling 20,000 people from Guatemala to the U.S. have been arrested in Los Angeles by federal authorities. Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, known as “Turko,” and his lieutenant, Cristobal Mejia-Chaj, were taken into custody and have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges related to smuggling migrants across the border over five years.
A federal judge ordered the men, who are in the country illegally, jailed without bond until their trial in April. Renoj-Matul is identified as the head of one of the largest human smuggling organizations in the U.S., responsible for transporting people primarily from Guatemala to the U.S. The organization was linked to the deaths of seven immigrants, including a 4-year-old child, in a vehicle crash in Oklahoma in November 2023.
Jose Paxtor-Oxlaj, a driver in custody in Oklahoma since the crash, was also charged in the California indictment. Another individual, Helmer Obispo-Hernandez, a lieutenant in the organization, faces charges and is believed to be in Guatemala.
Renoj-Matul worked with associates in Guatemala who solicited individuals willing to pay between $15,000 and $18,000 to be smuggled to the U.S. through Mexico. Migrants who paid the fees were transported to various destinations in the U.S., including Los Angeles and Phoenix. Some migrants who couldn't pay were reportedly held hostage in a stash house near downtown Los Angeles.
Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally stated, “These smuggling organizations have no regard for human life and their conduct kills. The indictment and arrests here have dismantled one of the country’s largest and most dangerous smuggling organizations.” If convicted of all charges, the defendants could face a statutory maximum sentence of death or life imprisonment.
