Authorities in El Salvador dismantle smuggling ring, arrest 10 together with 2 cops

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Police in El Salvador on Tuesday arrested 10 folks accused of working a migrant smuggling ring that charged migrants as much as $15,000 for the promise of protected journey to the U.S.

Two of the alleged smugglers, or “coyotes,” arrested had been energetic members of the Salvadoran nationwide police, the Legal professional Normal’s Workplace mentioned. One other was an ex-officer.

The raid was coordinated between police within the capital, San Salvador, and two different cities, Santa Ana within the west and San Miguel within the east of the nation, respectively. Police additionally seized 4 autos and greater than a dozen cellphones.

In keeping with an investigation opened in July 2022, the smugglers trafficked migrants via blind spots on the Guatemalan border, then via Mexico and the U.S., charging between $12,000 and $15,000 per particular person.

The lawyer normal’s workplace mentioned they started investigating after at the least 33 migrants reported they’d paid for transport, however weren’t taken to the U.S.

El Salvador is popping to novel methods to discourage migration, because the U.S. steps up stress to manage the stream of individuals to its southern border. For the reason that finish of October, for instance, residents of 57 largely African nations arriving within the nation have been charged a $1,130 “ airport enchancment” payment.

Aviation authorities wouldn’t say whether or not the payment was designed to discourage migrants, a lot of whom are identified to make use of Nicaragua as a transit level due to its lax visa necessities.

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Comply with AP’s international migration protection at: https://apnews.com/hub/migration