The Public Ministry of Guatemala, under the leadership of Mrs. María Consuelo Porras Argueta, Attorney General of the Republic and Chief of the Public Ministry, successfully completed the extradition of Dany Zavala Ramos to the United States, where he faces prosecution for his alleged role in the notorious “Chiapas” case, which claimed the lives of dozens of Guatemalan migrants.

Zavala Ramos is the last remaining fugitive of the criminal network linked to illicit human trafficking, culminating in the tragic December 2021 accident in Chiapas, Mexico, where a container transporting 166 migrants illegally overturned, causing 54 deaths, including 42 Guatemalans.

Judicial and Investigative Background

In December 2024, the Prosecutor’s Office against Illicit Trafficking of Migrants, in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), dismantled the criminal network, leading to the capture and subsequent extradition of Tomás Quino Canil, Alberto Marcario Chitic, Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, and Josefa Quino Canil de Zavala in September 2025.

In collaboration with the State of Texas authorities, the network member Jorge Agapito Ventura was also apprehended. On August 7, 2025, the Specialized Unit of International Affairs, in coordination with national police authorities, executed the judicial capture of Dany Zavala Ramos, completing the prosecution of the network members wanted by U.S. justice authorities.

Institutional Commitment

The Public Ministry of Guatemala reaffirms its zero-tolerance policy against human trafficking, emphasizing the strengthening of investigative capacities, judicial coordination, and international cooperation to ensure accountability, justice, and protection of victims’ rights.