Federal agents arrested two Guatemalan men on Friday accused of operating one of the largest human smuggling operations in the United States.

The two were picked up near downtown Los Angeles and are accused of moving 20,000 illegal immigrants into the U.S. from Guatemala since 2019.

Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul and Cristobal Mejia-Chaj each appeared in federal court hours after their arrests, and a judge ordered each held without bond. If convicted, they could each face the death penalty.

“These smuggling organizations have no regard for human life and their conduct kills,” said acting U.S. Attorney Joseph McNally. “The indictment and arrests here have dismantled one of the country’s largest and most dangerous smuggling organizations. This work saves lives, and the members of the organization will now face significant consequences.”

It is believed that migrants who did not pay were held hostage in a stash house in the same Los Angeles neighborhood where Renoj-Matul and Mejia-Chaj were arrested.

Operation ringleader Eduardo Domingo Renoj-Matul, who goes by “Turko,” allegedly worked with counterparts in Guatemala who would charge migrants $15,000 to $18,000 for safe passage to the United States. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

In one incident last year, prosecutors alleged Renoj-Matul called the mother of a migrant he was holding hostage and threatened that she “would come home in a box” if her smuggling fees were not paid.

Obispo-Hernandez remains at large and faces additional charges for threatening to cut off the head of a Homeland Security Investigations officer who served a search warrant at his house on Friday.