Following one of the deadliest human smuggling cases in Texas, Guatemalan police have arrested seven individuals allegedly tied to the incident.
On Wednesday, Guatemalan police announced they had arrested seven Guatemalan citizens in connection to the deaths of more than 50 illegal aliens found in an abandoned tractor-trailer near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio in 2022.
The news of the arrests is the latest development in the yearslong investigation into the catastrophic incident, which also left eight children dead.
According to the Associated Press, Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez said the arrests were made possible after 13 raids were carried out in three of Guatemala’s departments.
One of the raids was on Rigoberto Román Mirnado Orozco, who is allegedly the ringleader of the smuggling gang. The United States has requested Orozco’s extradition.
Additionally, police seized vehicles, seized cash, and rescued other foreign nationals during the operation.
“This is a collaborative effort between the Guatemalan police and Homeland Security, in addition to other national agencies, to dismantle the structures of human trafficking, one of the strategic objectives of the government President Bernardo Arévalo in order to take on the phenomenon of irregular migration,” Jiménez told the Associated Press.
Previously, six people were charged, including two Texas residents Homero Zamorano Jr., who is accused of driving the truck, and Christian Martinez. Four Mexican nationals were also arrested and charged in connection to the deadly incident.
According to authorities, the six men knew that the tractor-trailer’s air conditioning system was malfunctioning and would not blow cold air onto the illegal aliens inside the truck.
Authorities have also purported that the men worked with human smuggling operations in Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. They also shared driving routes, guides, stash houses, and trucks and trailers, supposedly stored in a private parking lot in San Antonio.
The illegal aliens are said to have paid the human smuggling organization up to $15,000 each to take them across the U.S. border.
The gang responsible has been identified as “Los Orozcos,” as those arrested are family members who carry that surname.
