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'Now, they are organized and tied in with the cartels. 'In the past, smuggling organizations were mom-and-pop,' Craig Larrabee, from Homeland Security Investigations told CNN. Zamorano cowardly hid in the brush after attempting to evade San Antonio police officers by posing as a survivor, a Mexican immigrant official said. Many had to go to hospital with heat-related health problems.įirst responders said many of the victims suffered from heatstroke and dehydration, a report said. More than a dozen people were found alive inside the vehicle. It was during that time that Police said Zamorano abandoned 73 migrants in the truck by the roadside in San Antonio, leaving passersby to hear screaming inside the vehicle as they made the gruesome discovery. Martinez's final text, at 6:17 p.m., allegedly read, 'WYA?,' meaning, where you at?

'Where are you bro,?' Martinez texts at 1:14 p.m., according to the complaint.īy 3:18 p.m., the documents claim Martinez texted, 'Call me bro, Yes, Call me bro.' When Zamorano doesn't reply, Martinez allegedly texts him repeatedly to find out his whereabouts. The documents claim that after Zamorano texted him to confirm the meetup, Martinez sent him an address to an industrial area just three miles from Mexico. The pair were also discussing whether Zamorano should go to the 'same spot,' along with some GPS coordinates that were of a destination in Laredo, Texas. Martinez was not present when either the air conditioner went out or when the decision to abandon those people was made.'Īs the migrants were dying from the heat of the trailer, Zamorano and Martinez were messaging back and forth and exchanging pictures, one of which included the 'truck load manifest'. Martinez's lawyer told a federal judge this week at a hearing for his client: 'I do not mean to downplay the significance of the death of the 53 individuals. However, Mr. meaning just being too weak - weakened state - to actually get out and help themselves,' Hood explained. 'None of these people were able to extricate themselves out of the truck, so they were still in there, awaiting help, when we arrived. 'The refrigerator tractor-trailer had no visible working air conditioning unit, and there was no sign of water inside, San Antonio's fire chief Charles Hood said during a press conference. Inside the truck, it's estimated temperatures would have been closer to 150F.

The truck, carrying migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, was discovered abandoned in a desolate, industrial area near a highway about 160 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. Speaking to KENS5, D'Luna-Mendez's lawyer, Michael McCrum, said that his client has no connection to the trailer. The pair could face 10 years in prison.Īuthorities have not said what role those two men are thought to have played in the deaths of the migrants. Prosecutors announced separately that a grand jury also returned indictments against two Mexican citizens suspected of possession of a firearm while unlawfully present in the United States. Additionally, multiple other weapons were found in the home, the attorney's office said. Attorney's Office, a gun was found in the center console of the car that D'Luna-Bilbao was driving.

The more serious grand jury indictments in San Antonio move the accused one step closer to trial.Īccording to the U.S. Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez, 23, and Juan Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao, 48, each face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, prosecutors said.ĭ'Luna-Mendez and D'Luna-Bilbao were arrested on June 27 at a home connected to the trailer-truck's registration.ĭozens of migrants were packed into the back of a tractor-trailer that was found on the outskirts of San Antonio on June 27, officials said.Īll four of those indicted had previously been charged by prosecutors. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas. history, according to a statement from the U.S. The alleged driver, Homero Zamorano Jr., 46, of Pasadena, Texas, and his co-defendant, Christian Martinez, 28, of Palestine, Texas, could face the death penalty or life in prison if convicted in the deadliest human-smuggling incident in U.S.

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A US grand jury on Wednesday indicted four men including the suspected driver in connection with the death of 53 migrants amid the sweltering heat during a smuggling attempt last month in Texas, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday.

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