U.S. officials in Texas have arrested four Mexicans who were indicted on suspicion of operating a human smuggling ring responsible for the deaths a year ago of 53 migrants packed into a truck during sweltering heat, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. The suspects shared routes, guides, stash houses and vehicles, storing some of their tractors and trailers at a private parking lot in San Antonio, prosecutors said. The indictment alleges some of the defendants knew the trailer’s air conditioning was broken and unable to blow cool air to the migrants inside. When the suspects opened the door after a three-hour journey, they found 48 of the migrants dead, including the pregnant woman, prosecutors allege. They were arrested on Monday in San Antonio, Houston and Marshall, Texas, and identified as Riley Covarrubias-Ponce, 30; Felipe Orduna-Torres, 28, Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal, 37, and Armando Gonzales-Ortega, 53, the statement said.

Source: Bueno Aires Herald June 29, 2023 13:23 UTC