US officials – the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Department of Justice – have announced measures against the Lopez Human Smuggling Organisation (Lopez HSO), a transnational criminal organization (TCO) based in Guatemala and its members.
The OFAC has imposed sanctions on the entire organization.
“The Lopez Human Smuggling Organization sought to smuggle thousands of migrants into the US through an illegal transnational operation that exploited those in search of a better life for themselves and their families,” explained Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson.
According to the statement of the Department of Justice, officials announced the unsealing of an indictment returned by a federal grand jury on July 17, 2024. The indictment charges eight members of leadership and management at the Lopez HSO, including Ronaldo Galindo Lopez-Escobar (aka “Tio Roni”), who heads the organization.
Two other members, Elvis Bersai Lopez-Ambrosio (aka “Pepe”) and Whiskey Hans Lopez-Ambrusio (aka Hands), are accused of controlling illegal business with Mexican smugglers.
Middle management includes Eli Adonis Estaban-Lopez, Wenry Gabriel Gomez-Lopez and Karen Stefani Hernandez-Vanagas, who helped carry out daily operations at the smuggling organization.
