Human smuggling rings in countries like Guatemala are helping fuel the migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. Now, the Guatemalan government is intensifying its investigations into these illegal human smuggling operations which often extort those seeking a better life in the United States, as well as their families.

These human traffickers, also known as "coyotes," often charge Guatemalan migrants around $15,000 per person to take them across the Mexico-Guatemala border, and then cross over the U.S.-Mexico border. Guatemalan officials are now tracking where that money is going, and who is profiting from this illicit trade.

Previously, local villages had a trusted "coyote" to take people across borders. Now, large syndicates have taken over, according to the Associated Press, and they make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

Guatemalan Police Raid and Arrest Human Smuggling Ring

The investigations into these smuggling rings seem to be bearing fruit as well, as Guatemalan authorities recently raided the home of the alleged leader of a migrant smuggling ring. It is located in the mountains near the Mexico-Guatemala border, and authorities found around $51,000 in coins, nearly 100 slot machines, and late-model vehicles purchased with cash.

The alleged leader of the smuggling operation was identified as David Coronado Pérez, who was arrested along with nine others. Three of those also arrested were lawyers who helped Coronado Pérez launder money. However, Coronado Pérez has denied the allegations made against him.

A migrant dying often sparks investigations into smuggling rings, and in this case, Coronado was investigated when 19 migrants, including 15 Guatemalans, were killed and burned by alleged rogue Mexican police along the Texas border in January 2021.

According to Yahoo! News, Coronado smuggled these individuals and finally reached the border when they were attacked. His son Adán, who acted as the guide for the group, was also killed by the alleged rogue Mexican cops.

Among the seized vehicles was a bus used to transport migrants. According to authorities, these vehicles were all paid for in cash, and they often only use the latest models.

READ MORE: Illegal Border Crossings Down For 2 Straight Months

Chief Investigator Is a Veteran in Going After Human Smugglers

Spanish language business news site El Financiero reported that the man heading the investigations into these smuggling rings is Stuardo Campo, who is no stranger to breaking up these human smuggling rings. In November, he led federal investigations which led to the dismantling of a migrant smuggling ring in Nahuala, with five people arrested and $256,000 in cash seized. That operation targeted a mainly indigenous area where some of Guatemala's poorest reside.

That same smuggling ring extorted the family of a migrant who was detained along the U.S.-Mexico border, telling them that the migrant died and they wanted money to retrieve his body. However, it turned out that he is still alive and was deported back to Guatemala.

He also went after the smuggling ring led by Felipe Diego Alonzo, who said he was just an onion farmer but was a human trafficker in reality. He helped smuggle Marta Raymundo Corio into the U.S. However, the case attracted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security when she was found dead in Odessa, Texas. According to Campo, she died in a warehouse due to a lack of food.

Since the raids began, the Guatemalan government has increased the punishment for human traffickers to 10 to 30 years from six to eight previously.

READ NEXT: Mexico: 94 Migrants Who Almost Died Inside Truck Managed to Escape After Driver Abandoned Them

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Crisis in Guatemala drives migrants to U.S. border - CBS Evening News