Abdul Karim Conteh, Human Smuggling, California 2024

Alleged Transnational Human Smuggler Nabbed in Mexico, Charged with Smuggling Thousands into the United States

An indictment was unsealed July 18, 2024, containing serious charges against Abdul Karim Conteh, 42, a national of Sierra Leone, who is accused of leading a vast human smuggling operation that transported thousands of migrants into the United States. Conteh was arrested July 11 in Tijuana, Mexico, at the request of the United States.

According to the indictment, Conteh’s organization allegedly smuggled migrants from more than a dozen countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Somalia, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Egypt, and others. The migrants paid tens of thousands of dollars to be transported through various countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, before reaching the U.S.-Mexico border.

Conteh allegedly coordinated with his wife, Veronica Roblero Pivaral, 25, a national of Mexico, and co-conspirators to facilitate the global transportation of migrants. He then oversaw the migrants’ unlawful entry into the United States, using methods such as ladders and tunnels.

Conteh faces charges of conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States and unlawful smuggling of migrants for financial gain. He could face up to 10 years in prison for the first charge and a mandatory minimum of three years for the second charge, with additional violations carrying a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 15 years.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added the Abdul Karim Conteh Human Smuggling Organization and four individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.

Conteh’s wife, Veronica Roblero Pivaral, remains at large.

U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath called the arrest a significant blow to global human smuggling operations, saying, ‘This arrest unravels a global web of coordinated human smuggling into the United States.’

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland praised the efforts of law enforcement agencies, saying, ‘In coordination with our law enforcement partners, the Justice Department has worked relentlessly to target and disrupt the unlawful, transnational human smuggling operations that endanger migrants and threaten our national security.’

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