US embassy cable - 03TEGUCIGALPA1930

UNCLAS TEGUCIGALPA 001930 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CEN, CA/FPP 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: KFRD, CVIS, ASEC, HO 
SUBJECT: RAID NETS MAJOR ALIEN SMUGGLING RING IN HONDURAS 
 
 
1. SUMMARY - Honduran police, military and prosecutors with 
DHS assistance, conducted a raid in the northwestern city of 
La Entrada de Copan, capturing the leaders of a major alien 
smuggling ring.  The ring had been operating with the 
alleged collusion of GOH civilian employees of the passport 
office and the National Registry of Persons, as well as two 
former employees of the Mexican Consulate in San Pedro Sula. 
The Government of Mexico is cooperating with the GOH to 
investigate the former Consulate employees, both of whom 
have been recalled to Mexico. 
 
2. On Thursday, August 7, 2003, three leaders of an alien 
smuggling ring were captured in a raid conducted by Honduran 
police, prosecutors, and military personnel, with the 
assistance of the DHS Unit of Embassy Tegucigalpa.  The raid 
took place in the northwestern town of La Entrada de Copan, 
Honduras, near the Honduras/Guatemala border.  The three 
arrestees were part of a band called "The Chameleon". They 
are Honduran businessman Walter Leonel Guevara Velasquez, 
his brother engineer Roque Ramon Guevara Velasquez, and 
attorney Edgar Danilo Chinchilla.  An arrest warrant was 
issued for Dolores Alvarado Flores, an employee of the 
National Registry of Persons Office in the neighboring city 
of Santa Rosa de Copan.  She allegedly escaped to El 
Salvador. 
 
3. Two residences and a law office were searched during the 
raid.  A large number of stamps and seals, as well as forged 
letterhead stationery from local banks, clinics, government 
offices, airlines, commercial businesses, notarized 
certificates and titles to real estate and personal property 
were found.  More than 40 Honduran passports were also 
found.  Some of the passports had been issued, but did not 
contain seals, indicating that the traffickers had access to 
blank passports.   On the properties police also found over 
eleven thousand dollars in cash.  The traffickers' affluent 
life styles were clear from the pictures printed in local 
press.  An Olympic sized swimming pool, surrounded by hand- 
painted murals dominated one of the residences.  The houses 
were large and opulently furnished, and several luxury 
vehicles were confiscated. 
 
4. The smuggling scheme allegedly involved charging seven 
thousand dollars for a package of false documents including 
passports, birth certificates, job letters, and all the 
documentation necessary to get a visa at the Mexican 
Consulate in San Pedro Sula.  All documents were notarized 
and contained realistic seals.  Mexican consular employees 
allegedly working with the ring would issue visas to the 
buyers.  Once in Mexico, the buyers would be directed to a 
"coyote" to take them across the border into the U.S. 
 
5. Strong evidence was found linking Doris Alvarado Flores, 
the Registrar of Persons in Santa Rosa de Copan to the ring. 
She allegedly issued the false birth certificates, 
identification cards and other official documents.  The two 
former Mexican consular employees, Roberto Ruelas Angel and 
Susann Avila Castelazo issued the visas at the Mexican 
Consulate in San Pedro Sula.  Ruelas and Castelazo had 
worked at the Mexican Consulate in San Pedro Sula since 
2000.  According to the Mexican Embassy in Tegucigalpa, both 
have been recalled to Mexico and are awaiting the outcome of 
an ongoing visa fraud investigation. 
 
6. COMMENT - According to the prosecutor, the smuggling 
operation had been ongoing since 2000, and is reported to 
have been able to smuggle ninety to one hundred persons per 
month into the U.S.  From material found at the scene, it is 
evident that the ring had contacts in the local Registry of 
Person's Office as well as the Passport Office.  It will be 
interesting to see how the case is handled since the 
Attorney General Against Organized Crime is new in the 
office.  This is her first major case and it potentially 
involves wealthy and connected people.  We will monitor the 
progress of the case through the court system and keep 
Department posted on the outcome. 
 
PIERCE