Four Mexican nationals arrested in connection with mass casualty migrant smuggling incident that left 53 dead

U.S. authorities arrested four Mexican nationals for their alleged roles in a smuggling incident that led to the deaths of 53 migrants, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Tuesday.

Authorities discovered an abandoned tractor-trailer in June 2022 full of migrants, 53 of which died, in San Antonio, Texas. Riley Covarrubias-Ponce, aka Rrili, aka Rilay, 30; Felipe Orduna-Torres, aka Cholo, aka Chuequito/Chuekito, aka Negro, 28; Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal, aka Cowboy, 37; and Armando Gonzales-Ortega, aka El Don, aka Don Gon, 53, are charged for their alleged roles in a human smuggling organization responsible for smuggling illegal aliens, both adults and minors, to the U.S. from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico between December 2021 and June 2022, according to DHS.

Individually, the accused are charged with multiple counts that involve transporting illegal aliens resulting in death and transporting illegal aliens resulting in serious bodily injury, which could result in a lifetime prison sentence, according to DHS.

“Human smugglers prey on migrants’ hope for a better life – but their only priority is profit,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement regarding the arrests. “Tragically, 53 people who had been loaded into a tractor-trailer in Texas and endured hours of unimaginable cruelty lost their lives because of this heartless scheme. Human smugglers who put people’s lives at risk for profit and break our laws cannot hide for long: We will find you and bring you to justice.”

Days before the tragedy, Covarrubias-Ponce and Orduna-Torres allegedly exchanged names of migrants they planned to transport in the tractor trailer, according to DHS. Those charged, some of whom were allegedly aware that the air conditioning wasn’t working in the truck, in Tuesday’s announcement allegedly obtained the abandoned vehicle, turning it over to the driver, who was charged in July 2022.

Orduna-Torres also allegedly gave the driver the pickup point in Laredo, Texas, where he loaded at least 66 illegal migrants, including eight children and one pregnant woman, according to DHS. Martinez, Covarrubias-Ponce, Orduna-Torres, Rivera-Leal, and Gonzales-Ortega then led the driver and tracked his progress.

The alleged smugglers had advanced routes, guides, stash houses, trucks and trailers, some of which they stored at a San Antonio parking lot, to execute their lucrative smuggling enterprise, according to DHS.

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