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LOS ANGELES — A Guatemalan man who led a massive Human Smuggling Ring that transported approximately 20,000 migrants into the United States, held victims hostage to collect smuggling debts and was linked to a fatal crash that killed seven people, including two young children, has been sentenced to nearly 22 years in federal prison.

Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, 53, also known as “Turko,” “El Jefe,” “Patrón” and “El Gallo,” received a 262-month sentence on Oct. 2, 2026, from U.S. District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced the sentence.

Renoj-Matul, who most recently lived in Los Angeles’ Westlake neighborhood, also was ordered to pay $64,945 in restitution related to a November 2023 crash that killed seven migrants, including children ages 4 and 6. A separate restitution hearing concerning his kidnapping victims will be scheduled later.

The case exposed a criminal enterprise that prosecutors said exploited vulnerable migrants for financial gain through a coordinated international smuggling network. Renoj-Matul pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to bring, transport and harbor migrants in the United States for private financial gain and one count of hostage taking. He has been in federal custody since February 2025.

A Multinational Human Smuggling Ring Moved 20,000 Migrants

According to court documents, the organization operated from 2019 through July 2024, coordinating transportation from Guatemala through Mexico and across the U.S.-Mexico border before moving migrants to destinations throughout the United States.

Associates in Guatemala recruited prospective migrants and collected fees ranging from $15,000 to $18,000 per person. Mexican smuggling organizations then transported the migrants through Mexico and facilitated their entry into the United States.

Once migrants arrived, members of Renoj-Matul’s organization managed transportation teams, smuggling cells and houses where migrants were held while arrangements were made for their onward journeys.

The operation extended far beyond Southern California. According to prosecutors, Renoj-Matul arranged transportation to Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Renoj-Matul also directed the movement of smuggling proceeds from Los Angeles to Phoenix, where the money was delivered to the Mexican organization and used to cover its expenses.

The scale of the operation demonstrated how an organized smuggling network could connect recruiters, transporters, drivers, financial intermediaries and people operating safe houses or holding locations.

Migrants Held Hostage Over Unpaid Debts

One of the most serious aspects of the case involved a stash house on James M. Wood Boulevard in Los Angeles’ Westlake district.

Prosecutors said migrants were taken to the house after being smuggled into the country. Those whose fees had been paid were transported to other destinations. Those whose debts remained unpaid could be detained against their will until relatives or other third parties provided the money.

Court documents describe two victims who were held hostage for months in 2024.

One victim was detained from May through July after a third party failed to pay her smuggling fees. According to prosecutors, Renoj-Matul and associates in Guatemala contacted the victim’s mother and threatened harm if the debt was not paid. The family was warned that the victim would “come home in a box.”

Human Smuggling Ring Includes Sexual Assaults

Another Guatemalan migrant was held from April through July 2024. Renoj-Matul knowingly seized and detained the victim and threatened to kill or injure the person to compel third parties to pay the outstanding fees.

The conduct went beyond unlawful transportation and confinement. In a sentencing memorandum, prosecutors said Renoj-Matul sexually assaulted one female victim, forced her to perform demeaning work, mistreated her and threatened her family as part of efforts to collect the debt.

The allegations illustrate how smuggling debts can become tools of coercion when migrants are isolated from their families and dependent on the people controlling their transportation and housing.

Fatal Crash Killed Seven Migrants

The investigation also involved a November 2023 vehicle crash that killed seven migrants, including two children.

Renoj-Matul was ordered to pay $64,945 in restitution connected to the deaths. Co-defendant José Paxtor-Oxlaj, 46, was sentenced July 31 to 78 months in federal prison and ordered to pay the same amount in restitution.

Paxtor-Oxlaj pleaded guilty to conspiracy to bring, transport and harbor migrants for financial gain resulting in death. He is incarcerated in an Oklahoma state prison in connection with the crash.

The deaths underscore the physical dangers migrants may face during clandestine transportation, including unsafe vehicles and journeys arranged outside ordinary legal and safety systems.

Co-Defendant Sentenced as Another Suspect Remains at Large

Cristóbal Mejia-Chaj, 51, of Westlake, was sentenced Oct. 2 to 33 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to bring, transport and harbor migrants for financial gain. His restitution hearing is scheduled for Dec. 11.

Another alleged participant, Helmer Obispo-Hernández, 43, known as “Xavi,” served as a lieutenant in the organization, according to prosecutors. He faces federal criminal charges and remains a fugitive.

Homeland Security Investigations’ El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, its Figueroa Initiative Gang and Human Trafficking Task Force, the U.S. Border Patrol and the Inglewood Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly Larocque of the Transnational Organized Crime Section and Lana Morton Owens of the National Security Division prosecuted the case.

Federal Officials Emphasize Exploitation and Public Safety

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said the organization profited from migrants’ desperation and that the case demonstrated the dangers associated with criminal smuggling operations.

The prosecution highlighted the distinction between arranging unauthorized border crossings and the additional crimes alleged in this case, including hostage taking, sexual assault, threats against family members and transportation connected to fatal consequences.

For investigators, the case also demonstrated the importance of tracing financial proceeds and examining how international organizations coordinate recruitment, transportation, detention and payments across multiple jurisdictions.

Renoj-Matul’s sentence marks a significant penalty for a network that prosecutors said operated for five years and moved thousands of people. The fugitive status of Obispo-Hernández means the broader investigation still has an outstanding defendant.

The case serves as a reminder that migrants who rely on criminal smuggling networks can face serious risks long after crossing the border, particularly when traffickers or smugglers use debt, confinement and threats to maintain control over them.