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Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Two men convicted in 2022 smuggling conspiracy that killed 53 migrants
March 19 (UPI) -- A federal jury has convicted two men for their involvement in the fatal smuggling scheme that led to the deaths of 53 migrants in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer in 2022. Federal prosecutors said Felipe Orduna-Torres, 30, and Armando Gonzalez-Ortega, 55, were convicted Tuesday, each on three counts related to the smuggling scheme, and face a maximum penalty of life in prison when sentenced on June 27. The pair were arrested in June 2023, almost a year to the day after dozens of migrants were found dead in the back of a tractor-trailer abandoned on the side of a San Antonio road on June 27, 2022. Sixty-six migrants were in the back of the trailer without water or functioning air conditioning as they were driven for hours across the state of Texas. Forty-eight of the migrants were pronounced dead at the scene, while five people who were transported to area hospitals later died. Six children and a pregnant woman were among the deceased. According to federal prosecutors, the migrant families paid the defendants and their co-conspirators between $12,000 and $15,000 to be smuggled into the United States. Coinciding with the convictions, a third defendant, Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco, 48, was extradited to the United States from Guatemala to face charges in connection with the conspiracy. Federal prosecutors accused Miranda-Orozco of being a leader of a Guatemala-based smuggling organization. He made his first appearance in a San Antonio federal court on Monday. Guatemalan authorities arrested him in August at the request of the United States in a large law enforcement operation carried out across the Central American country. "The extradition of Miranda-Orozco to U.S. custody is a major step in the takedown of a large and complex human smuggling organization he is alleged to be a part of," acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas said in a statement. "Just as we've shown throughout the trial of Orduna-Torres and Gonzalez-Ortega, we will continue to prosecute this case aggressively -- seeking justice for those who have perished and holding accountable those who illegally value profit over human life." Five other defendants have pleaded guilty to their involvement in the case.
Reuters
18-03-2025
- Reuters
Two convicted in smuggling death of 53 migrants in Texas in 2022
March 18 (Reuters) - A federal jury in San Antonio, Texas on Tuesday convicted two Mexican men for their roles in the smuggling death of 53 migrants packed into a truck during sweltering heat in June 2022, the Justice Department said. Another suspect in the case has been extradited from Guatemala to face trial. A total of 66 migrants from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras were stuck in a tractor-trailer with malfunctioning air conditioning that was abandoned on the outskirts of San Antonio on June 27, 2022, a day when temperatures soared as high as 103 Fahrenheit (39.4 Celsius). Forty-eight people were found dead at the scene and another five died in hospital. Among the dead were six children and a pregnant woman, the Justice Department said in a press release. Some migrants inside the trailer lost consciousness, while others clawed at the walls trying to escape, the Justice Department said, citing court documents and evidence presented at trial. Felipe Orduna-Torres, 30, and Armando Gonzalez-Ortega, 55, were each convicted of four separate counts of smuggling resulting in death and injury and face up life in prison at sentencing, set for June 27. At least eight suspects have been arrested with some of them still facing trial. The driver of the truck, Homero Zamorano, pleaded guilty in January. He, too, faces up to life in prison. The investigation has also resulted in the extradition of another suspect: Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco, 48. Prosecutors accuse Miranda-Orozco of leading a Guatemala-based organization that smuggled three of those who died, charging their families $12,000-$15,000 each for the journey, the Justice Department said. "The extradition of Miranda-Orozco to U.S. custody is a major step in the takedown of a large and complex human smuggling organization he is alleged to be a part of," said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas.
