Migrant Smugglers Sentenced To Decades in Prison For 2022 Texas Tragedy That Killed 53

Three years after the deadliest human smuggling tragedy in U.S. history, two men have been sentenced to decades in prison for their involvement.

On the third anniversary of the tragedy, Felipe Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzales-Ortega became the first defendants sentenced in connection with the case that left 53 people dead near San Antonio, Texas.

San Antonio police received a call from a local worker who heard cries for help and discovered an abandoned trailer in June 2022. According to Police Chief William McManus, officers arrived to find dozens of bodies inside.

Emergency crews transported more than a dozen survivors to local hospitals, where they were treated for heat-related conditions, including heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Fire Chief Charles Hood said the trailer had no working air conditioning or water, and it was unclear how long the migrants had been trapped before being found.

According to CBS News, the 64 migrants in the trailer were from countries including Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. An indictment revealed that each had paid between $12,000 and $15,000 to be smuggled into the United States.

One survivor told The Associated Press that the group had reached Laredo before being loaded into the trailer for what was supposed to be a six-hour journey to Houston, but the truck never made it past San Antonio.

When authorities opened the doors, 48 people were already dead. 16 others were taken to hospitals, where five later died.

Orduna-Torres, described by prosecutors as the ringleader of the smuggling operation, received two life sentences and an additional 20 years, according to local station KENS. Gonzales-Ortega, identified as his top assistant, was sentenced to more than 87 years in prison. Both men were also fined $250,000.

Investigators said the pair were part of a transnational smuggling ring operating in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. They coordinated routes, guides, stash houses, trucks and trailers to move people across the U.S.-Mexico border.

Apart from Orduna-Torres and Gonzales-Ortega, five other defendants have pleaded guilty to felony charges in the case, including Homero Zamorano Jr., the truck's driver, who was found hiding near the scene.

Zamorano is scheduled to be sentenced in December and faces a possible life sentence. The rest of the defendants are expected to be sentenced later this year.