U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has collaborated with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to impose sanctions on Jumilca Sandivel Hernandez Perez, a key figure in the Lopez Human Smuggling Organization (HSO). This Mexico-based transnational criminal organization is responsible for smuggling thousands of migrants from Guatemala through Mexico into the United States.
Hernandez Perez’s operations were reportedly conducted in coordination with La Linea, a violent drug trafficking group previously sanctioned by the U.S. government. This group’s activities have been linked to severe crimes, including the 2019 murders of nine American citizens in Sonora, Mexico.
An operation against Lopez HSO began in 2023, led by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso special agents and various law enforcement partners across three states. This effort resulted in multiple indictments and arrests. On July 25, 2024, further indictments were announced by the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico against members of both Lopez HSO and La Linea.
“ICE is committed to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling Transnational Criminal Organizations that exploit vulnerable individuals and jeopardize border security,” stated ICE HSI acting Executive Associate Director Robert Hammer. He emphasized that these sanctions target those profiting from human trafficking while supporting efforts to maintain community safety.
The Lopez HSO has primarily smuggled individuals into New Mexico, Arizona, California, Texas, Virginia, and other states distant from the U.S.-Mexico border. The organization has exploited the U.S. financial system to manage its operations financially.
The criminal organization is estimated to have earned between $104 million and $416 million from its smuggling activities between September 2020 and 2023 by charging each person between $13,000 and $16,000.
This sanctioning effort reflects extensive inter-agency cooperation involving ICE HSI El Paso Field Office; ICE HSI Human Smuggling Unit; OFAC; Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section; U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force program.
