By Sebastian Barragan.
Homero Zamorano, 45, was arrested on criminal charges related to his alleged involvement in alien smuggling resulting in death. He is identified as the driver who drove the trailer where 53 migrants died of suffocation.
If convicted, Zamorano faces life in prison or possibly the death penaltyreported the Justice Department.
The US government reported the details of the case, for which there are already four people in custody: on Monday, officers from the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) arrived at the location of the truck in southwest San Antonio, after receiving calls from emergency number 911.
At the scene, officers discovered multiple people, some still inside the tractor trailer, some on the ground and in nearby brush, many of them deceased and some incapacitated.
The police officers were led to the location of an individual, later identified as Zamorano, who was observed hiding in the brush after trying to abscond.
Laredo Sector Border Patrol provided agents with surveillance footage of the tractor-trailer moving through an immigration checkpoint. The driver could be seen wearing a black striped shirt and a cap.
The agency Homeland Security Investigations (HSI, for its acronym in English) took the inquiry and confirmed that 48 people died at the scene. Of those 22 were Mexican citizens, seven Guatemalan citizens, two Honduran citizens and 17 of unknown origin.
Sixteen of the 64 undocumented immigrants were transported to local hospitals for medical evaluation. Five died in the hospital.l. Officials are working with foreign consulate offices for proper notifications to relatives of the deceased.
Zamorano is charged with one count of alien smuggling resulting in death. He is originally from Brownsville but resides in Pasadena, Texas.
Christian Martínez, 28, who was arrested on Monday, is also charged. He is charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants resulting in death.
According to court documents, a search warrant was executed on a Zamorano cell phone. Through the investigation, it was discovered that there were communications between Zamorano and Martínez regarding the smuggling event.
If convicted, Martinez faces life in prison or could face the death penalty.. Martinez had an initial appearance today before a judge in Tyler. He will be transported to San Antonio for further proceedings.
In addition to the arrests of Zamorano and Martínez, Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez, 23, and Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao, 48, both citizens of Mexico, are also in custody. Both were arrested at a home linked to the license plates on the trailer.
A criminal complaint is simply an accusation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.