Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
Walmart
Realidad Turística
INOR
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Nestle
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
AVA Resorts
Barceló Solymar
MITM Events
Agexport
Los Portales
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
blackanddecker
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
MuniGuate
Intecap
INTERFER
Cubasol
Herbalife
Grupo Hotelero Islazul

Guatemalan Police Arrest 7 Accused of Trafficking The 53 Migrants Who Asphyxiated in Texas in 2022

Date:

Share:

MITM Events
Intecap
Nestle
INTERFER
Realidad Turística
Herbalife
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
blackanddecker
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
AVA Resorts
INOR
Los Portales

Guatemalan police on Wednesday arrested seven Guatemalans accused of having smuggled 53 migrants from Mexico and Central America who died of asphyxiation in 2022 in Texas after being abandoned in a tractor trailer in the scorching summer heat.

They were the latest arrests after years of investigation into the deadliest tragedy of migrants smuggled across the border from Mexico. The dead included eight children.

Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez told The Associated Press the arrests were made possible after 13 raids in three of the country’s departments. They included Rigoberto Román Miranda Orozco, the alleged ringleader of the smuggling gang whose extradition has been requested by the United States.

Police also seized vehicles and cash and rescued other migrants during the operations, they said in a statement.

“This is a collaborative effort between the Guatemalan police and Homeland Security, in addition to other national agencies, to dismantle the structures of human trafficking, one of the strategic objectives of the government President Bernardo Arévalo in order to take on the phenomenon of irregular migration,” Jiménez said.

Six people were charged previously.

Homero Zamorano Jr., who authorities say drove the truck, and Christian Martinez were arrested shortly after the migrants were found. Both are from Texas. Martinez later pleaded guilty to smuggling-related charges. Zamorano pleaded not guilty to smuggling-related charges and is awaiting trial. Four Mexican nationals were also arrested in 2023.

Authorities have said the men were aware that the trailer’s air-conditioning unit was malfunctioning and would not blow cool air to the migrants trapped inside during the sweltering, three-hour ride from the border city of Laredo to San Antonio.

When the trailer was opened in San Antonio, 48 migrants were already dead. Another 16 were taken to hospitals, where five more died. The dead included 27 people from Mexico, 14 from Honduras, seven from Guatemala and two from El Salvador.

Authorities have alleged that the men worked with human smuggling operations in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, and shared routes, guides, stash houses, trucks and trailers, some of which were stored at a private parking lot in San Antonio.

Migrants paid the organization up to $15,000 each to be taken across the U.S. border. The fee would cover up to three attempts to get into the country.

Orozco, the alleged ringleader, was arrested in the Guatemalan department of San Marcos, on the border with Mexico. The other arrests occurred in the departments of Huehuetenango and Jalapa. The police identified the gang as “Los Orozcos” because several of those arrested are family members and carry that surname.

“Said organization illegally housed and transferred hundreds of migrants of different nationalities to the United States, collecting millions of quetzales (the national currency) through several years of operation,” said the Guatemalan government. (AP)

Realidad Turística
Intecap
Walmart
Nestle
Cubasol
INOR
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
MITM Events
Herbalife
MuniGuate
INTERFER
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
blackanddecker
Los Portales
Barceló Solymar
Servicios Médicos Cubanos
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
AVA Resorts
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
CUN-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
Agexport
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
INTERFER
Cubacel
AirEuropa
Barcelo Guatemala City
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
MuniGuate
Intecap
Blue Diamond Resorts
Henkel Latinoamerica
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Havanatur

Subscribe to our magazine

━ more like this

Pole Dancing in Israel: A New Dimension with BlueDance.co.il

In recent years, pole dancing has experienced a remarkable transformation, shifting from a misunderstood niche to a popular activity combining fitness, self-expression, and empowerment....

A New Luxury Hotel Just Opened on An Idyllic Beach in Cancun, Mexico — And We Were the First to Stay

Waldorf Astoria Cancun opened to the public on Nov. 1, the brand's first new build in Mexico, with two waterfront pools and a fantastic...

Pan American Health Organization Launches Interactive Dashboard on Avian Influenza in The Americas

To monitor cases of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) launched an interactive dashboard on the web...

Nicaragua Presents Its New Interoceanic Canal Route to China and Seeks to Compete with Panama

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes With a length of 445 kilometers, in a second attempt, the Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, presents China with a new...

US Lawmakers Join Requests to Extend TPS To Central Americans

The chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez, along with other legislators gathered outside the Capitol this Thursday to express his...
Revista Colombiana de Turismo Passport
INTERFER
Intecap
Hotel Barcelo Solymar
AirEuropa
Blue Diamond Resorts
Cubacel
Hotel Holiday Inn Guatemala
Maggi - GLUTEN-FREE
Henkel Latinoamerica
Havanatur
Barcelo Guatemala City

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Realidad Turística
MAD-HAV Enjoy Travel Group
MuniGuate
INTERFER
Barceló Solymar
Instituto Hondureño de Turismo
Cervecería Centroamericana S.A.
AVA Resorts
Los Portales
Grupo Hotelero Islazul
Herbalife
Centro Nacional de Cirugía de Mínimo Acceso de Cuba
Intecap
INOR
blackanddecker
Agexport
Walmart
MITM Events
Cubasol
Nestle
Servicios Médicos Cubanos