SAN ANTONIO – Two men have been indicted in connection with a human smuggling attempt that left 53 people dead and 11 injured inside a hot tractor trailer in Texas.
Homero Zamorano Jr., 46, and Christian Martinez, 28, both of Palestine, Texas, are accused of trying to smuggle 64 people into the United States.
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San Antonio police officers said they were called June 27 to a scene in southwest San Antonio. They said they received 911 calls from multiple concerned residents.
When they arrived, officers found multiple people inside the tractor trailer, on the ground, and in the nearby brush, according to authorities.
Police said 50 adults and three children died as a result of being inside the tractor trailer. Ten adults and one child were injured, officials said.
San Antonio officers said they were led to a spot where Zamorano was hiding in the brush. He was detained at the scene, they said.
A search warrant on Zamorano’s cellphone revealed he had communicated with Martinez about the smuggling event, according to authorities.
Surveillance footage of the tractor trailer passing through an immigration checkpoint showed the driver wearing a black shirt with stripes and a hat. Police said that’s the same clothing Zamorano was wearing when they found him in the brush.
On Wednesday (July 20), a federal grand jury in San Antonio returned an indictment on Zamorano and Martinez. Both men were charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death, transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death, conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy, and transportation of illegal aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.
A conviction on conspiracy to transport and transport resulting in death charges has a maximum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty, according to federal officials.
The U.S. Attorney General will decide whether to seek the death penalty later, a release states.
Both men face up to 20 years in prison for the charge of transporting resulting in serious bodily injury, authorities said.
