Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty to Leading Massive Human Smuggling Organization and Holding Illegal Immigrants Hostage

LOS ANGELES - An illegal immigrant from Guatemala pleaded guilty today to leading one of the largest human smuggling organizations in the United States, a ring that smuggled approximately 20,000 illegal immigrants from Guatemala to destinations nationwide over a five-year span and further admitted to holding two victims hostage.

Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, 52, a.k.a. "Turko," "El Jefe," "Patrón," and "El Gallo," who most recently lived in the Westlake neighborhood near downtown Los Angeles, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States, transport aliens in the United States, and harbor aliens in the United States for private financial gain and one count of hostage taking.

Renoj-Matul has been in federal custody since February 2025.

According to his plea agreement, Renoj-Matul first worked for then acted as a leader in the smuggling organization and specialized in the smuggling of illegal aliens from Guatemala to the United States, the transportation and movement of those illegal aliens within the United States, and the harboring, concealing, and shielding of illegal aliens within the United States.

Renoj-Matul admitted in his plea agreement that the organization moved approximately 20,000 illegal aliens from 2019 through July 2024.

Associates in Guatemala who solicited illegal aliens to come to the United States accepted payment of between $15,000 and $18,000 for each illegal alien to be smuggled into the United States and coordinated the journey of the illegal aliens from Guatemala to the United States.

Mexican smuggling organizations who accepted Guatemalan illegal aliens in southern Mexico transported them through Mexico and then smuggled those illegal aliens across the U.S.-Mexico border.

In the United States, co-conspirators within the organization oversaw smuggling cells, teams of drivers who transported illegal aliens, and operators of stash houses where illegal aliens were held while they were within the United States.

Co-conspirators operated an illegal alien stash house located on James M. Wood Boulevard in the Westlake district of Los Angeles. Illegal aliens smuggled by the organization were brought to this house. After an illegal alien's smuggling fee was paid, the illegal alien was transported by co-conspirators to another destination within the United States. If an illegal alien's smuggling fees were not paid, Renoj-Matul and other co-conspirators would hold that illegal alien against their will at the Westlake house until their fee was paid.

Other co-conspirators transported and coordinated the transport of illegal aliens for Renoj-Matul from Guatemala, through Mexico, to the United States and then throughout various destinations within the United States. Within the United States, co-conspirators drove illegal aliens to other destinations in vehicles provided by Renoj-Matul and others for a fee paid by the aliens.

Renoj-Matul directed that the transportation of proceeds from human smuggling be transported from Los Angeles to Phoenix to be given to the Mexican smuggling organization and pay the smuggling organization's expenses.

In his plea agreement, Renoj-Matul admitted to arranging for co-conspirators to transport illegal immigrants to Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

Renoj-Matul admitted that at all relevant times, he acted for the purpose of private financial gain.

In 2024, after a third party reneged on paying a victim's smuggling fees, co-conspirators in Guatemala and Renoj-Matul called the victim's mother and threatened to harm the victim, including by warning the victim "would come home in a box" if her smuggling fees were not paid. For a two-month period from May 2024 to July 2024, the victim was held hostage at the house in the Westlake area of Los Angeles.

Renoj-Matul further admitted to holding another victim - an illegal immigrant from Guatemala - hostage from April 2024 to July 2024. Renoj-Matul knowingly and intentionally seized and detained, and threatened to kill, injure, and continue to detain the victim to compel third persons to pay smuggling fees to the hostage takers as an explicit condition for the victim's release.

United States District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela scheduled a October 2 sentencing hearing, at which time Renoj-Matul will face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

An April 21 trial is scheduled for co-defendants José Paxtor-Oxlaj, 45, a driver for the smuggling organization who is incarcerated in Oklahoma in connection with a November 2023 car accident resulting in the deaths of seven illegal immigrants - including a 4-year-old child, and Cristóbal Mejia-Chaj, 50, of Westlake, Renoj-Matul's alleged right-hand man. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Helmer Obispo-Hernández, 42, a.k.a. "Xavi," a lieutenant in the criminal organization, faces federal criminal charges in this case and is a fugitive.

Homeland Security Investigations' (HSI) El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force, HSI's Figueroa Initiative Gang and Human Trafficking Task Force, United States Border Patrol, and the Inglewood Police Department are investigating this matter.

Assistant United States Attorney Kelly L. Larocque of the Transnational Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.