A Guatemalan national was arrested Monday for his role in a human smuggling operation that led to the deaths of over 50 people in Mexico.
According to Homeland Security Investigations, Jorge Agapito Ventura took part in a conspiracy to smuggle people from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States.
Ventura was arrested at his residence in Colony Ridge, a controversial land development north of Houston criticized for marketing to illegal aliens and attracting cartel activity.
He and four other Guatemalan nationals were linked to the smuggling of at least 160 people in a semi-trailer truck that crashed in Chiapas, Mexico, resulting in the deaths of more than 50 people with over 100 more injured. The mass casualty event took place in 2021.
The five were charged with conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States, thereby placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injury, and resulting in death.
As part of the human smuggling operation, they used Facebook Messenger to send scripts outlining what unaccompanied minors should say if U.S. authorities apprehended them.
Additionally, an investigation by The Daily Wire revealed that Ventura owned four properties in the Colony Ridge development and bought one as recently as September 30.
In June, two illegal alien murder suspects with residences in Colony Ridge were arrested. One suspect, Juan Jose Valero Cruz, had been deported twice already.
Terrenos Houston, the marketing program for Colony Ridge, has been under scrutiny for advertising to illegal aliens by indicating they do not require traditional bank loans, Social Security numbers, or a proven job history to apply.
Texas and the U.S. Department of Justice are currently suing Colony Ridge for deceptive lending practices.
