A alleged transnational human smuggler was arrested in Mexico and faces extradition to the United States, where he will face federal charges of human trafficking.
Abdul Karim Conteh, 42, a national of Sierra Leone, was arrested on July 11, 2023 in Tijuana, Mexico. He is accused of leading a human smuggling organization that smuggled thousands of migrants into the United States through Mexico.
According to the indictment, Conteh’s organization allegedly smuggled migrants from over a dozen different countries, including Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Somalia, Cameroon, Senegal, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Egypt, and others. The migrants paid smuggling fees, often tens of thousands of dollars, to be transported through various countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Guatemala, on the way to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Conteh allegedly coordinated with his wife, Veronica Roblero Pivaral, 25, a national of Mexico, and co-conspirators throughout Mexico and other countries to facilitate the global transportation of migrants into and through Mexico to the U.S. border. He then allegedly oversaw the migrants’ unlawful entry into the United States by various surreptitious and unlawful means, including the use of ladders and tunnels.
Conteh is charged with conspiracy to smuggle migrants into the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. He is also charged with the unlawful smuggling of migrants for financial gain, which carries a mandatory minimum of three years in prison for the first two violations. Additional violations carry a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) added the Abdul Karim Conteh Human Smuggling Organization (HSO) and four individuals to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13851, as amended by E.O. 13863 (E.O. 13581, as amended). The sanctions freeze all assets of the individuals and entities designated and prohibit U.S. persons from dealing with them.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said, ‘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.’
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas added, ‘Human smugglers exploit the vulnerable for profit. Along with our partners across this Administration and around the world, we are bringing the full force of the law to bear against the individuals and their organizations that perpetrate this heinous crime.’
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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