Two human smugglers found guilty of causing the deaths of 53 migrants they attempted to bring into the U.S. hidden in a dangerously hot tractor trailer have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms.
Felipe Orduna-Torres, 32, and Armando Gonzalez-Ortega, 55, were found guilty in March by a federal jury for their involvement in the migrant smuggling incident in June 2022 near San Antonio, Texas, according to the Justice Department. This incident marked the country’s deadliest smuggling attempt at the U.S.-Mexico border.
On Friday, Orduna-Torres, who is in the U.S. unlawfully, received two life sentences along with an extra 20 years for a third charge, all to be served consecutively.
Gonzalez-Ortega was sentenced to 87.5 years in prison, while both defendants were also fined $250,000 by Judge Orlando Garcia on Friday. Gonzalez-Ortega is in the U.S. illegally.
Felipe Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzales-Ortega were sentenced on June 27. (U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas/Eric Gay)
A third man, Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco, described as a leader of the smuggling ring, was recently extradited from Guatemala to face federal charges, including conspiracy and aiding and abetting smuggling resulting in death and injury.
He allegedly facilitated the fatal journey of at least three of the deceased migrants.
The tractor trailer was discovered June 27, 2022, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
He had charged the migrants and their families around $12,000 to $15,000 for the perilous journey.
Five men previously pleaded guilty to felony charges in the smuggling case, including the truck driver, Homero Zamorano Jr., who was found hiding near the trailer in some bushes. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Several others have been charged in Mexico and Guatemala.
Thousands of lives have been lost in recent decades as people attempted to cross the U.S. border from Mexico.
WATCH: The 53 migrant deaths in Texas
Ten migrants died in 2017 after they were trapped inside a truck parked at a Walmart in San Antonio. In 2003, the bodies of 19 migrants were found in a sweltering truck southeast of San Antonio.
