In observance of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the Prosecutor’s Office against Human Trafficking, through its specialized Unit against Criminal Structures and in coordinated effort with the Metropolitan Prosecutor’s Office and the National Civil Police, executed a meticulously planned operation dubbed “DMS.”

This comprehensive operation encompassed seven simultaneous search, inspection, and evidence seizure actions at multiple premises located within Guatemala City’s Zones 14, 15, and 18, as well as the municipality of San José Pinula. The objective was to dismantle a sophisticated criminal enterprise engaged in human trafficking for sexual exploitation, accompanied by systematic money laundering activities.

As a direct result, authorities apprehended seven individuals against whom arrest warrants were duly issued by the First Instance Criminal Court with Specialized Jurisdiction on Human Trafficking Crimes in Guatemala:

• Irma M., implicated in sexual exploitation, illicit association, and asset laundering; authorities confiscated two mobile devices and a vehicle.
• Fernando M., charged similarly, with seizures including a mobile device and a vehicle.
• Consuelo G., a Salvadoran national, arrested at Di Massimo SPA (Zone 14), a facade business subsequently shuttered; seizures comprised ten mobile phones, computers, POS terminals, and cash. Three Colombian victims were rescued from sexual exploitation here.
• Joel G., also Salvadoran, detained at Ultra (Zone 15); evidence seized included mobile devices, computers, POS terminals, and cash, with two Colombian victims rescued.
• Astrid C., charged with facilitation of prostitution, illicit association, and laundering; one mobile device seized.
• Carlos R., apprehended for trafficking, illicit association, and laundering; one mobile device and a computer seized.
• Juventino G., arrested in Jutiapa for identical offenses; mobile device and computer seized.

The investigation extended into financial domains, resulting in the freezing of bank accounts and immobilization of vehicles registered to members of the “DMS” and “Ultra” networks.

Findings reveal this organization’s modus operandi involved the recruitment, transfer, harboring, and retention of foreign nationals—predominantly Colombian and Venezuelan—within legitimate business fronts operating as spas, bars, and restaurants, masking the systematic exploitation and laundering operations beneath.

This operation exemplifies the Public Ministry’s resolute commitment to combating organized criminal networks dedicated to human trafficking and related offenses. Emphasizing victim protection and the disruption of illicit structures remains a paramount institutional priority, especially on globally significant dates such as the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Guatemala, July 31, 2025