US Treasury Sanctions Mexico-Based Criminal Group for Smuggling ‘Thousands’ of Migrants Into US

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has sanctioned a Mexico-based transnational criminal organization allegedly responsible for smuggling thousands of migrants into the United States, the enforcement agency announced on July 18. The Tijuana-based Abdul Karim Conteh Human Smuggling Organization (Karim HSO) is led by Sierra Leonean national Abdul Karim Conteh (Karim), 42, according to the OFAC. It is responsible for smuggling thousands of migrants from Africa, China, the Middle East, Russia, Central Asia, and other countries into the U.S., providing them with false documents, and offering them advice on how to illegally enter the country, the agency said....