Federal grand jury indicts 14 in deadly Texas train smuggling operation that killed 7 migrants
A federal grand jury in Texas has returned a superseding indictment charging 14 individuals in connection with a high-profit human smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of seven migrants, including a 14-year-old child, who suffocated inside a sealed freight container.
Human trafficking charges
The DOJ announced the charges Monday following an extensive investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.
11 indicted in deadly migrant smuggling operation involving cargo train
Eleven people were indicted in a human smuggling case that left seven migrants dead, including a 14-year-old boy.
What we know:
According to court documents, the smuggling organization operated from April 2023 through May 12, 2026, illegally using cargo trains to transport migrants into the United States after crossing the U.S.–Mexico border. Migrants or their families were charged between $1,500 and $10,000 per person.
Federal prosecutors allege that on May 9, 2026, members of the smuggling ring transported seven migrants to a Union Pacific rail line near Del Rio, Texas. Smugglers used red bolt cutters to sever the lock on a Conex shipping container, forced the victims inside, and locked the door from the outside.
Red bolt cutters used to open the Conex shipping container’s door
The container had no ventilation or cooling mechanism, while outside temperatures ranged from 88 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit.
The train traveled east along U.S. Highway 90 to San Antonio. Upon arrival, smugglers opened the container, discovered the victims in distress, and fled the scene. They abandoned one victim's body near the tracks in San Antonio and left the remaining six deceased victims inside the sealed container.
Shipping container opened with deceased smuggled aliens inside
The following day, May 10, a worker at a Union Pacific rail yard in Laredo noticed a leg protruding from the container and alerted authorities. Law enforcement found six bodies inside the shipping container and located the seventh victim along the tracks in San Antonio.
The deceased included four Mexican nationals and three Honduran nationals, among them the 14-year-old child. Investigators revealed that at least one victim sent distress messages to a family member pleading for help before dying.
Map depicting US-90 and the Union Pacific Railroad system from Del Rio to San Antonio
What they're saying:
"By allegedly orchestrating this deadly human smuggling scheme, these defendants showed no regard for the value of human life and put people in harm’s way to pad their own pockets," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas noted that the case follows a pattern of dangerous rail-car interdictions across the region.
"To those who are placing their lives in the hands of dangerous alien smugglers, you must understand that there is no good outcome awaiting on this side of the border," Simmons said. "To those alien smuggling organizations like the one responsible for these seven deaths, your date with American justice will come."
The 14 defendants named in the indictment include:
- Karina Garcia, 37, of Del Rio, Texas
- Edson Alejandro Perez, 18, of Del Rio, Texas
- Seferino Huerta-Casillas, 35, a Mexican national
- Jonas Ulloa-Aguilera, 25, a Honduran national
- Mayra Alejandra Huerta, 32, of Del Rio, Texas
- Maria Norma Neri de Moran, 56, of Mexico
- Damian Huerta Analucas, 55, of Mexico
- Rosario Cristal Lopez-Saldana, 26, a Mexican national
- Eric Hernandez, 40, of Eagle Pass, Texas
- Franklin Williams Ayala Aguilera, 30, a Honduran national
- Pascual Raymundo Loarca, 34, a Guatemalan national
- Juan Alvaro Membreno-Contreras, 40, a Honduran national
- Yuri Julissa Cuaresma Paredes, 34, of Honduras
- Mavis Aleyda Escalante Peraza, 38, a Honduran national
What's next:
Twelve of the 14 defendants are charged with conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death and aiding and abetting the transportation of undocumented people resulting in death, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. Additional charges facing various members of the group include counts of bringing undocumented people into the United States, conspiracy to place lives in jeopardy, and money laundering.
The Source: Information in this article is from the US Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs.