(The Center Square) – A significant human smuggling operation linked to the Guatemalan Lopez Crime Family has been uncovered, with extensive activities across Arizona, California, and New Mexico.
Nine out of ten indicted members of this Guatemalan crime syndicate have pleaded guilty to various charges related to an elaborate “alien smuggling” conspiracy. Court documents reveal that all nine admitted to their involvement in transporting illegal foreign nationals into the U.S. for profit, highlighting the growing threat of human trafficking across U.S. borders.
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The alleged orchestrator of this criminal enterprise, 47-year-old Lopez-Escobar from Guatemala City, is currently a fugitive. Among those who have pleaded guilty are multiple Guatemalan nationals residing illegally in Phoenix, including Rosa Adriana Lopez-Escobar, Franklin Leonardo Chilel-Ramirez, Junior Vanegas Portillo, and Jose Denilson Lopez Chilel, all implicated in this serious operation.
Additionally, two Guatemalan nationals from Long Beach, California, Deysi Marisela Lopez-Ambrosio and Mildred Yanira Lopez-Ambrosio, along with three individuals from Arizona—Jose Gianluca Lopez-Perez, Sebastian Rolando Cortez, and Carlos Chavez-Hernandez—have also entered guilty pleas connected to their roles in the smuggling network.
This extensive operation, running from October 2021 to April 2023, involved sophisticated methods to facilitate illegal entries into the U.S. The Lopez crime family utilized money transfer apps to coordinate payments amongst participants and instructed others on how to move groups of undocumented individuals for financial compensation. Their activities primarily centered in Luna County, New Mexico, aiding the transport of Guatemalan nationals through Mexico and into the United States.
To date, four of the guilty individuals have been sentenced, with penalties ranging from probation to 45 months in prison. The defendant Denilson Lopez Chilel has agreed to surrender multiple assets used in the smuggling operation, including vehicles and firearms, a clear indication of the significant resources tied to this crime.
The investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations New Mexico, involved extensive collaboration across federal and local law enforcement agencies. This bust comes shortly after the dismantling of one of the largest Guatemalan smuggling operations in U.S. history, which saw around 20,000 individuals illegally transported over a five-year period.
