The Texas truck driver who was allegedly “high on meth” when he killed 53 migrants from Mexico and Central America in what has been dubbed “the deadliest human trafficking” episode in US history appeared in federal court on Thursday.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), US Attorney’s Office, and the Western District of Texas, Homero Zamorano, Jr., 45, was arrested on Wednesday on criminal charges for his alleged involvement in an alien smuggling event that resulted in death.
According to a Mexican immigrant official, Zamorano cowardly hid in the brush after attempting to flee from San Antonio police officers by posing as a survivor.
According to federal prosecutors, two of the suspects, including the driver, face charges that could result in life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.
Officers from the San Antonio Police Department were led to the location where Zamorano was hiding, and he was apprehended.
The tractor-trailer was seen crossing through an immigration checkpoint in surveillance footage provided by Laredo Sector border patrol agents.
The video confirmed that the driver, Zamorano, was wearing a black shirt with stripe detail and a hat.
According to the Associated Press, the tractor-trailer carrying the migrants passed through an inland Border Patrol checkpoint before arriving in San Antonio, where the gruesome discovery of dozens of bodies stacked on top of one another was made.
Zamorano, who is originally from Brownsville, Texas, will be sentenced on Thursday before a US Magistrate judge.
Christian Martinez, 28, was arrested in Palestine, Texas on Monday after being charged in the criminal complaint.
According to the DOJ, he is charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death.
Martinez made his first public appearance on Wednesday in Tyler, Texas.
The investigation revealed that Zamorano and Martinez communicated prior to the botched human-smuggling operation.
According to an official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to The Associated Press, the truck was carrying 73 people, but a DOJ source told DailyMail.com that only 64 people were on board as it passed through the checkpoint on Interstate 35.
53 people have died as a result of this. The Associated Press reported that it’s unclear whether agents detained the driver for questioning at the inland checkpoint or if the truck passed through unhindered.
According to the DOJ, those inside the tractor-trailer were suspected of illegally entering the country.
According to officials, the migrants who died passed through an inland checkpoint, according to the Associated Press.
Many of those who died were hoping to enter the country and pursue the American Dream, according to the grieving families who lost loved ones.
The victims, who ranged in age from teenagers to brothers, cousins, and even an expecting mother, all had different goals.
Some hoped to go to school, while others hoped to get a better job so they could support their families back home.
Their dreams, however, came to a halt when they were deprived of air and ventilation in the locked tractor trailer in scorching temperatures.
By the time officials discovered the horrifying human trafficking right in front of their eyes, many had already died, while others were sickly on the ground and incapacitated.
According to court documents, Homeland Security Investigators responded to the scene on Monday, where 73 people were suspected of illegally entering the United States.
According to court documents, the San Antonio Police Department informed HSI investigators that they arrived at the location of the tractor trailer in southwest San Antonio after receiving numerous 911 calls from concerned citizens.
Investigators at the scene confirmed that 48 people had died. According to the DOJ, 22 of those killed were Mexican nationals, seven were Guatemalan nationals, two were Honduran nationals, and 17 were of unknown origin but suspected to be undocumented non-citizens.
Homeland Security Investigators used a mobile fingerprint device to confirm the undocumented status of those in the tractor trailer.
Sixteen of the 64 undocumented people were taken to nearby hospitals for medical evaluation. At the hospital, five people died.
Officials are collaborating with foreign consulate officers to properly notify the deceased’s family members.
Along the Mexican and Canadian borders, there are approximately 110 inland highway checkpoints.
According to the Associated Press, Monday’s disaster raises the question of whether checkpoints are capable of detecting people in cars and trucks who enter the United States illegally.
According to the news outlet, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who drives through the checkpoint almost weekly, investigators believe migrants boarded the truck in or near Laredo.
Zamarano’s Facebook page features a variety of selfies as well as photos of him with his dog and his love for Mexico.
He is single, from Mission, Texas, enjoys smoking marijuana, and has a high school diploma, according to his bio.