Guatemala Arrests 10 Politically-Connected Smugglers Tied to Migrant Massacre in Mexico

Guatemalan authorities working with U.S. agents arrested 10 human smugglers tied to a 2021 police massacre ending with the deaths of 19. Mexican cops killed 16 migrants and three smugglers near the border with Texas. The smugglers are part of an organization with ties to a fugitive former mayor in Guatemala.

The arrests began in late January, a statement by the Guatemalan government revealed. The investigation focused on the Coronado-Miranda smuggling organization and led to the arrests of 10 individuals.

The smugglers are allegedly responsible for moving 16 Guatemalan migrants into Mexico to the border city of Camargo. In January 2021, rogue Tamaulipas police officers killed everyone in the human smuggling convoy, set their bodies on fire, and tried to stage the crime scene as a cartel gun battle.

An ongoing investigation by Mexican authorities led to the arrest of 12 Tamaulipas police officers. As Breitbart Texas reported exclusively, the case also pointed to widespread corruption inside Mexico’s National Immigration Institute and other agencies since the vehicles from the massacre were previously seized by authorities in Nuevo Leon but mysteriously returned to human smugglers.

Diez presuntos responsables de coyotaje de las 19 personas calcinadas en Tamaulipas, México, son capturados en San Marcos pic.twitter.com/WIo9iunVge

— PNC de Guatemala (@PNCdeGuatemala) January 29, 2022

During recent raids in Guatemala, authorities seized $203,000 USD, five vehicles, 61 gambling machines, and communication devices, a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed.

According to local news outlets in Guatemala, the Coronado-Miranda organization had political protection since one of its leaders is the former Mayor of Comitancillo, Ramiro Coronado Perez, a fugitive.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.