Massive Human Smuggling Ring Busted In Los Angeles: DOJ

LOS ANGELES, CA — A man suspected of running one of the largest human smuggling organizations in the United States was arrested at his Los Angeles area home, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, 51, was arrested at his Westlake home on suspicion of running a smuggling ring that brought roughly 20,000 immigrants into the country illegally from Guatemala over the course 12 years. The smuggling scheme culminated in a crash that killed seven immigrants, including a four-year-old, in Oklahoma in 2023, according to a federal indictment released Monday.

Along with Renoj-Matul, authorities also indicted Cristobal Mejia-Chaj, 49, of Westlake, Helmer Obispo-Hernandez, 41, a fugitive, and Jose Paxtor-Oxlaj, a 44-year-old driver already incarcerated in connection with the fatal 2023 car accident.

All four men are charged with one count of "conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States, transporting aliens in the United States, and harboring aliens in the United States for private financial gain and resulting in death," according to the justice department. Additionally, Renoj-Matul and Mejia-Chaj are charged with two counts of hostage taking. Obispo-Hernandez and Paxtor-Oxlaj also are charged with one count of "transporting aliens in the United States for private financial gain and resulting in death."

According to prosecutors, Renoj-Matul, himself an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, held some people smuggled across the border hostage for nonpayment.

The arrests and search warrants were served Friday, and they led to additional charges. Obispo-Hernandez, the fugitive, threatened to cut off the heads of a Homeland Security Investigations Task Force Officer and members of his family after he found out his home was searched, prosecutors allege.

“These smuggling organizations have no regard for human life, and their conduct kills,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “Their members pose a danger to the public and law enforcement. We must vigorously enforce our immigration laws so that these organizations cannot operate. The indictment and arrests here have dismantled one of the country’s largest and most dangerous smuggling organizations. This work saves lives, and the members of the organization will now face significant consequences.”

“These arrests illuminate the dangers and victimization associated with aliens attempting to unlawfully enter our country,” said Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles Acting Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco. “Every day, similar human smuggling organizations put profits ahead of the safety in these reckless and illegal endeavors. HSI Los Angeles and our partners are committed to continue identifying and dismantling these organizations so no further lives are lost and our borders are secure.”

According to the indictment returned, the smuggling ring operated for more than 12 years, largely moving immigrants across the border and between Phoenix and Los Angeles. Guatemalan immigrants paid the ring between $15,000 and $18,000 a person to be smuggled into the country, according to the indictment.

The immigrants were transported across Mexico into the United States and held in stash houses in Arizona until they could be moved to locations across the country, according to the indictments. Immigrants who could not pay were held hostage in a stash house in the Westlake neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles, prosecutors wrote in the indictment.

The indictment stems from a November 2023 crash in Elk City, Oklahoma. Driver Paxtor-Oxlaj was transporting immigrants from New York to Los Angeles when he crashed into another vehicle, killing seven of his passengers, including the 4-year-old, according to the indictment.

The indictment also alleges that, from April 2024 to July 2024, Renoj-Matul and Mejia-Chaj held hostage two Guatemalans, who had not paid smuggling fees. According to prosecutors, they allegedly threatened to kill the victims until third parties paid for their release.

If convicted of all charges, the men could face the death or life imprisonment.