SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Two suspected human traffickers accused of involvement in the deaths of 72 mainly Central American migrants in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas about four months ago have been arrested, according to the Salvadoran Attorney General’s Office on Dec. 3.

José Raúl Alegría Alvarenga and Erick Francisco Escobar were taken into custody in the eastern municipality of San Marcos in the department of San Salvador last week, the Attorney General’s Office said on its website.

Alegría and Escobar are suspected of being among the six human traffickers who led the migrants to their deaths in August when they were abducted by alleged members of the Los Zetas, who executed them for refusing to work for the criminal organization.

“Erick Francisco Escobar is considered the leader of this structure, as he was the person in charge of going to the people’s homes and leading them in groups to pre-determined locations to begin the route for Guatemala,” prosecutor Mirna Salazar de Calles said.

Salazar de Calles said the investigation is on “the correct path” and that it should lead to additional arrests.

[Proceso.com (Mexico), 03/12/2010; Prensa Libre.com (Guatemala), 04/12/2010; EFE (El Salvador), 05/12/2010]