Guatemalan Police Arrested for Involvement in Major Human Trafficking Network

Guatemalan security agents have arrested 25 active police officers implicated in a human trafficking network, alongside 11 civilians. The group allegedly used police corruption to facilitate the smuggling of migrants, amassing significant wealth in the process. U.S. agencies aided in the crackdown, which marks significant progress against human smuggling in the region.

Guatemalan security agents arrested 25 active police officers implicated in a human trafficking network operating along a route used predominantly by U.S.-bound migrants, according to Interior Minister Francisco Jimenez.

Two of the detained officers were retired, and an additional 11 civilians were arrested on charges including money laundering on behalf of the organization 'Los Rs.' Authorities noted that this group has accumulated millions of quetzals over several years.

'This organization made use of police agents, corrupting them to guarantee the safe passage of the people they were trafficking across the country,' Jimenez said in a video message. The U.S. embassy and Department of Homeland Security collaborated in the investigation.

Four vehicles, a firearm, and cash were seized during the operation. The ministry did not disclose the origin or destination of the smuggled migrants. The organization reportedly exploited nearly 10,000 migrants.

In August, Panama launched U.S.-funded migrant deportation flights as part of an effort by Washington to reduce the flow of migrants to its southern border. Earlier joint operations also dismantled another smuggling network linked to the deaths of 53 migrants in Texas in 2022.

(With inputs from agencies.)