TULSA, Okla. — The Homeland Security Task Force said seven individuals from Guatemala living illegally in the United States were sentenced for smuggling illegal immigrants across the Mexican border and helping them travel to states across the country, including Oklahoma.
Authorities said the leader of the operation, Cidia Marleny Lima Lopez, coordinated with the six other defendants to transport illegal immigrants originally from countries in Central America, South America and Asia into the United States for a fee beginning around Oct. 2021 through April 2025.
According to court documents, Cidia would use social media to coordinate payment to accomplices in Guatemala who would drive individuals seeking to enter the U.S. from Guatemala to Mexico…