Central American human smuggler arrested

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — A suspected Central American human smuggler was arrested Wednesday for his involvement in smuggling Salvadoran children and MS-13 gang members. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents from the HSI Assistant Attaché Office in El Salvador assisted police officers from the Salvadoran National Civil Police, who made the arrest.

Caballero, also known as "El Chino," allegedly charged smuggling fees, equivalent to $7,000 per adult and $4,000 per child in U.S. currency, to illegally smuggle individuals into the United States. He allegedly received payments for the illicit activity through money remittance service providers.

"This recent arrest is a testament to the great bilateral relationship between the United States and El Salvador," said Alvin de la Rosa, assistant attaché to El Salvador. "Operations like this demonstrate that we're committed to dismantling human smuggling organizations operating in the region."

Attorneys with the Salvadoran Attorney General's office are handling the prosecution of the case.

HSI has 67 offices and eight Department of Defense liaisons in 48 countries around the world with more than 380 government and contract personnel committed to the agency's mission. The attachés, part of HSI's International Operations, oversee HSI investigations and serve as agency liaisons to local government and law enforcement counterparts in countries across the globe.