US Sanctions Mexican Migrant Smuggling Group, Members

The U.S. this week sanctioned the Mexico-based Abdul Karim Conteh Human Smuggling Organization and four people associated with the group for helping to smuggle “noncitizens” into the U.S. The Treasury Department said Sierra Leonean national Abdul Karim Conteh and his wife, Mexican national Veronica Roblero Pivaral, help lead the group, while Togolese national Pasaman Francis Marin Abbe Pidoukou and Sierra Leonean national Issa Kamara help transport migrants. Brian Nelson, Treasury’s undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said the move “disrupts the ability of those seeking to exploit and endanger desperate individuals in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones.”