Police block the scene where a truck with multiple dead bodies was discovered in San Antonio, Texas.Photo: Eric Gay/AP/Shutterstock
Four men have been indicted in connection with theJune 27 migrant trucktragedy in San Antonio, Texas that left 50 adults and three children dead.
A federal grand jury in San Antonio returned the indictments Wednesday against Homero Zamorano Jr., 46, and Christian Martinez, 28, charging each of the men with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and one count of conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy,according tothe U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
Zamorano, from Pasadena, Texas, and Martinez, from Palestine, Texas, face a maximum penalty of life in prison or the death penalty, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
Mexican citizens Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez, 23, and Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao, 48,were also indictedWednesday. Each was charged with one count of possession of a firearm while unlawfully present in the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Members of law enforcement investigate a tractor trailer on June 27, in San Antonio, Texas.Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images
D’Luna-Mendez and D’Luna-Bilbao were determined to be connected to the crime after police confirmed the registration for the tractor-trailer belonged to a San Antonio resident.
“SAPD officers set up surveillance on the residence and observed two males leaving in separate trucks. After traffic stops on both trucks, the drivers were identified as D’Luna-Mendez and D’Luna-Bilbao,” the DOJ said in aJune 28 release.
Victims of the tragedy are laid to rest in Guatemala City.Oliver de Ros/AP/Shutterstock
D’Luna-Bilbao also allegedly had a handgun in the center console of the truck he was driving, and more weapons were found after police executed a search warrant at his home, added the release.
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The victims of the incident hailed from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras, according to an ICE spokesperson.
“This is the worst human-smuggling event in the United States. This sheds light on how dangerous human smuggling is,” Craig Larrabee, the acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio, toldCNNin a statement.
source: people.com
