An individual from Guatemala has pleaded guilty in Los Angeles to leading a large human smuggling operation that brought about 20,000 people into the United States over five years. Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, 52, also known as “Turko,” “El Jefe,” “Patrón,” and “El Gallo,” admitted to conspiracy charges related to bringing, transporting, and harboring illegal immigrants for financial gain. He also pleaded guilty to hostage taking.
Renoj-Matul has been held in federal custody since February 2025. According to his plea agreement, he began as a worker and later became a leader in the organization, focusing on moving people from Guatemala through Mexico into the United States and then relocating them within the country.
The organization charged between $15,000 and $18,000 per person for smuggling services. Associates in Guatemala coordinated with Mexican organizations to move individuals across borders. In the U.S., co-conspirators managed stash houses—including one on James M. Wood Boulevard in Los Angeles—where migrants were kept until their fees were paid.
If payments were not made, Renoj-Matul and others would detain migrants at these locations until families or third parties settled the debts. In one case from 2024, after a third party failed to pay a victim’s fee, Renoj-Matul and associates threatened harm against the victim by telling her mother she "would come home in a box" if payment was not received. The victim was held hostage for two months.
Another Guatemalan migrant was detained from April to July 2024 under threats of harm unless smuggling fees were paid. Renoj-Matul acknowledged that his actions were motivated by personal financial gain.
The plea agreement details how proceeds from smuggling operations were sent from Los Angeles to Phoenix for distribution among other criminal partners. The network arranged transportation of migrants throughout various states including Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, New York, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington D.C.
Sentencing is scheduled for October 2 before United States District Judge Cynthia Valenzuela; Renoj-Matul faces up to life imprisonment.
Two co-defendants are awaiting trial: José Paxtor-Oxlaj is incarcerated in Oklahoma following a car accident that killed seven migrants in November 2023; Cristóbal Mejia-Chaj is described as Renoj-Matul’s right-hand man. Both have pleaded not guilty. Another alleged lieutenant remains at large.
Multiple agencies participated in investigating this case: Homeland Security Investigations’ El Camino Real Financial Crimes Task Force; HSI’s Figueroa Initiative Gang and Human Trafficking Task Force; United States Border Patrol; and Inglewood Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Kelly L. Larocque is prosecuting the case.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California serves more than 19 million residents across seven counties and works closely with law enforcement partners on public safety initiatives such as prosecuting federal crimes and providing community outreach programs focused on victim assistance.
