Two men were indicted Wednesday by a grand federal jury on charges related to the failed smuggling operation that disastrously killed 53 migrants in San Antonio last month, officials said.
The driver of the truck, Homero Zamorano, and the alleged planner of the operation, Christian Martínez, both natives of Texas, could face life imprisonment or even the death penalty if convicted of transporting and conspiring to transporting migrants illegally and causing death.
They were also accused of transporting and conspiring to transport migrants illegally and caused serious injuries.
Dozens killed by inhumane and suffocating conditions inside the 18-wheeled vehicle was the deadliest migrant trafficking operation that crossed the U.S. border from Mexico.
Both Zamorano, 46, and Martinez, 28, remained in federal prison without bail pending trial.
Christian Martinez was the alleged planner of the operation, as police discovered calls to Zamorano’s phone with him about the operation.
The migrants, many already dead or dying, were discovered in the truck on a remote San Antonio highway.
The surveillance video shows the 18-wheeled vehicle passing through a Border Patrol checkpoint with the driver matching Zamorano’s description, according to the indictment.
A search on Zamorano’s cell phone revealed calls with Martinez about the smuggling operation, officials said.
Police are at the scene where the trailer with 53 migrants killed on June 27, 2022 in San Antonio was discovered. in El Paso.REUTERS
Zamorano was found in a nearby field from where the truck was discovered and arrested last month.
If men are convicted of death counts, this could lead to life imprisonment, but the Attorney General’s Office could allow prosecutors to seek the death penalty.
With post cables