Federal prosecutors have indicted 11 people in connection with the deaths of seven migrants, who were locked inside an unventilated shipping container stacked on a Union Pacific train that passed through San Antonio in May.
Nine of the 11 defendants are in custody, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Antonio. However, two more defendants, Karina Garcia and Seferino Huerta-Casillas, are still at large, officials added.
The indictment, unsealed Friday, accuses the defendants and others of running a human smuggling operation from April 2023 through May of this year, which used cargo trains to transport undocumented migrants from Mexico into the U.S. Migrants or their families paid operatives between $1,500 and $10,000 each to be smuggled into the country, the feds allege.
On May 9, smugglers cut the lock off a Conex shipping container on a Union Pacific train in Del Rio, then loaded four Mexican nationals and three Honduran nationals, including a 14-year-old boy, inside and shut the door, according to the indictment. The unventilated container was reportedly stacked on top of another and couldn’t be opened from the inside.
Outside temperatures that day ranged from 88 to 92 degrees, and the heat took its toll as the train headed toward San Antonio, the indictment states. At least one of the people inside sent text messages to a loved one, pleading for help, according to investigators.
Once the train arrived in the Alamo City, smugglers opened the container and discovered the migrants in distress, according to the indictment. The suspects reportedly fled, leaving one person dead near the tracks, and train continued south to Laredo.
The next day, a rail yard employee in Laredo discovered the six dead bodies inside the container, according to federal authorities.
All 11 defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and one count of aiding and abetting transport of illegal aliens resulting in death, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Each faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine sentences for the defendants after considering federal sentencing guidelines and other factors.
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