The Department of Justice enforced an operation Tuesday that disrupted a human smuggling operation in Texas and across the southern United States.

The operation, a part of Joint Task Force Alpha, arrested eight alleged human smugglers, including the leader of the group.

Authorities arrested Erminia Serrano Piedra, 31, who allegedly led the human smuggling operation, as well as Kevin Daniel Nuber, 41; Laura Nuber, 40; lloyd Bexley, 51; Jeremy Dickens, 45; Katie Ann Garcia, 39; Olivera Piedra-Campuzana, 53; and Pedro Hairo Abrigo, 33.

The arrests happened Tuesday in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

"Over a year ago, we launched Joint Task Force Alpha to strengthen our efforts across government to dismantle the most dangerous human smuggling and trafficking networks," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said.

According to the DOJ, the eight people facilitated the unlawful transportation and movement of migrants within the United States in deplorable conditions for profit.

The migrants were from Mexico, Guatemala, and Colombia, and paid members of the human smuggling organization to help them travel illegally to and within the United States illegally.

The criminal human smuggling organization used drivers to pick up migrants near the U.S. Mexico border and transport them further into the interior of the United States, the news release stated.

The migrants were transported in contained spaces with little ventilation, no temperature control, and in conditions that placed their lives at risk.

The drivers transporting the migrants in the organization were paid as much as $2,500 for each migrant.

"This human smuggling organization operated on an enormous scale pricing a high-value financial profit while putting migrants' lives at great risk," Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department of Department's Criminal Division said. “JTFA will continue to use all means necessary to pursue and dismantle criminal smuggling networks and protect the vulnerable populations they exploit.”

According to DOJ, the indictment also noticed the criminal forfeiture of three properties as well as money judgments amounting to $2,299,152.40.