Eleven individuals have been indicted in connection with a human smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of seven migrants who were trapped inside an unventilated shipping container in Texas. Prosecutors allege the smuggling ring operated from approximately April 2023 to May 2026.
The victims, identified as nationals of Mexico and Honduras, were found deceased in a shipping container on a Union Pacific train. Six were discovered in Laredo, Texas, and a seventh was found near railroad tracks in San Antonio, according to authorities. The container could not be opened from the inside, preventing any chance of escape.
Authorities stated that the migrants were loaded into the container near Del Rio and transported by train across the state. The ultimate destination was reportedly San Antonio. Once the train arrived, members of the smuggling organization allegedly opened the train car doors.
Prosecutors revealed that one individual fell out of the car in San Antonio, having died from the heat. This body was left by the tracks, and the container door was closed before the train continued to Laredo. One of the victims was a 14-year-old child.
Each migrant reportedly paid between $1,500 and $10,000 for transportation from Acuña, Mexico, into the U.S. On May 9, the group allegedly had their transport container locked with a bolt cutter. Temperatures outside ranged from 88 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit on that day.
After the train reached San Antonio, smugglers allegedly found the migrants in distress. One of the migrants had already died, and his body was left near the railroad tracks before the remaining migrants were abandoned in the container as it traveled to Laredo. The following day, a worker at the Laredo railyard discovered a leg protruding from the container, leading to the discovery of the deceased migrants.
Nine of the eleven defendants have been arrested and are in federal custody. Among those arrested are Mayra Alejandra Huerta, 32, of Del Rio; Edson Alejandro Perez, 18, of Del Rio; Eric Hernandez, 40, of Eagle Pass, Texas; Jonas Ulloa-Aguilera, 25, and Franklin Williams Ayala Aguilera, 30, both from Honduras; Maria Norma Neri de Moran, 56, Damian Huerta Analucas, 55, and Rosario Cristal Lopez-Saldana, 26, all from Mexico; and Pascual Raymundo Loarca, 34, of Guatemala.
Two individuals remain at large: Karina Garcia, 37, of Del Rio, and Seferino Huerta-Casillas, 35, of Mexico.
All defendants face charges of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and aiding and abetting the transport of illegal aliens resulting in death, carrying a maximum penalty of life in prison.