US Treasury Sanctions Mexico-Based Criminal Group for Smuggling ‘Thousands’ of Migrants Into US

After crossing from Mexico, illegal immigrants walk on the U.S. side of the border wall in Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif., on June 5, 2024. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned a Mexico-based transnational criminal organization allegedly responsible for smuggling thousands of migrants into the United States, the enforcement agency announced on July 18.

The Tijuana-based Abdul Karim Conteh Human Smuggling Organization (Karim HSO) is led by Sierra Leonean national Abdul Karim Conteh (Karim), 42, according to the OFAC.