Publicado el 03 Noviembre 2025
Operation “Pearls of the South”: PM Dismantles Human Trafficking Network
The Public Ministry, through its Transnational Crimes Prosecutor’s Office, in coordination with the Metropolitan Regional Prosecutor’s Office, National Civil Police, FBI Guatemala, and the Transnational Anti-Gang Center (CAT), carried out 32 simultaneous raids in the departments of Chiquimula, Retalhuleu, and Suchitepéquez as part of Operation “Pearls of the South”.
Key outcomes:
- 7 arrests made — 4 through arrest warrants and 3 in the act — targeting a transnational criminal organization involved in human trafficking, illicit association, and smuggling endangered species.
- The operation led to the seizure of critical evidence, including migrant documents, electronic devices, and vehicles used by the criminal network.
The suspects were found to be smuggling migrants, primarily from South America and the Caribbean, from the Honduran border to safe houses in Esquipulas, then on to Tecún Umán, San Marcos, as part of their irregular journey to the U.S.
“Pearls of the South” sends a clear message: organized crime has no borders, but neither does justice.
Guatemala City, November 3, 2025