A migrant smuggling operation that helped bring at least 20,000 illegal immigrants into the U.S. has been broken up with the arrest of four Guatemalans, prosecutors said Monday.

Authorities described it as one of the largest smuggling operations in existence, and said it was responsible for a horrific traffic accident in Oklahoma in 2023 that claimed the lives of seven people, including a 4-year-old.

Migrants paid up to $18,000 for their journey from Guatemala to the U.S. in Arizona, where they were taken to Phoenix. They were then moved to Los Angeles where they would be held until their payments were completed — often with death threats made to speed up the payments, authorities said.

One of the four men was also charged with threatening to behead a federal agent involved in serving a search warrant last week.

“These smuggling organizations have no regard for human life and their conduct kills,” said Joseph T. McNally, the acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles.

Eduardo Domingo Ranoj-Matul, 51, was named as the leader of the operation, which was in business for at least a dozen years, but the 20,000 figure was just for 2019 through July 2024.

The accident that claimed the lives of seven people occurred near Elk City, Oklahoma. Authorities said Jose Paxtor-Oxlaj, one of Mr. Ranoj-Matul’s lieutenants, was driving migrants at the time.

He told law enforcement he was being paid $300 per person.

He and another lieutenant, Helmer Obispo-Hernandez, are charged with smuggling resulting in death.

Mr. Renoj-Matul and Cristobal Mejia-Chaj are charged with hostage taking in addition to migrant smuggling. 

Authorities say that a man had pledged to pay $15,000 but the person guaranteeing the payment reneged. According to the indictment, the two men called the migrant’s mother and told her that her daughter “would come home in a box.”

The migrant was held for two months

Another migrant, a man, was held for more than a month while his family tried to arrange payment.

Authorities described a well-connected operation that worked with Mexican smuggling operatives to get the migrants through that country and up to the U.S., where Mr. Ranoj-Matul’s operation would take over transport duties.

• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.