Guatemalan authorities extradited a man identified as one of the leaders of the Lev Tahor sect—who holds dual Israeli and Romanian citizenship—to Mexico, where he is facing trial on charges related to organized crime and human trafficking, including allegations of forced marriages involving minors.

Mexican officials said that Yoel Alter was transferred into Mexican custody and brought before a federal judge in the state of Chiapas in the south of the country. The judge ordered that he remain in custody pending a review of his legal status.

According to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office, Alter is accused of involvement in a criminal organization that removed children from their communities and arranged forced marriages between minors and adults within the sect. Authorities said the investigation identified Chiapas, a southern Mexican state bordering Guatemala, as a central area of the organization’s activities.

Members of the criminal organization frequently crossed borders—including Israel, the United States, Guatemala, and Mexico—in order to evade law-enforcement authorities. Mexican authorities have previously removed children from Lev Tahor compounds as part of ongoing criminal investigations.

Alter’s defense team requested additional time before a formal ruling on the charges. A court hearing is expected to take place in the coming days.

Guatemalan authorities emphasized that the alleged crimes will not be subject to a statute of limitations until 2052.

In November, Colombian authorities, in a joint operation with immigration officials, rescued at least 17 minors from the cult who were staying at a hotel in Yarumal, Antioquia. Five of those minors, from the United States, Canada, and Guatemala, were subject to international arrest warrants issued by Interpol on charges of kidnapping and human trafficking.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)