A Mexican man pleaded guilty Thursday for his involvement in the failed smuggling attempt in June 2022 that resulted in the deaths of 53 migrants. File photo by Adam Davis/EPA-EFE
Jan. 18 (UPI) -- A Mexican national pleaded guilty Wednesday for attempting to smuggle dozens of migrants into the United States who were found dead in the back of a sweltering tractor trailer that was abandoned on the side of a San Antonio road in 2022.
The bodies of 48 people were found June 27, 2022, in the back of the trailer where the air conditioning was reportedly broken and there was no water. More than sixteen people suffering from heat exhaustion and heat stroke were rushed to the hospital, where several later succumbed to their injuries.
A total of 53 people, including six children, from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico were killed as a result of the smugglers' attempt to bring them illegally into the country.
On Thursday, federal prosecutors said Riley Covarrubias-Ponce, 31, pleaded guilty to being a member of the smuggling organization responsible for the failed smuggling attempt, with sentencing to be decided at an unspecified date. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Covarrubias-Ponce, a Mexican citizen, was charged for the incident on June 27 of last year -- the one year anniversary of the tragedy.
Christian Martinez, 29, of Texas pleaded guilty for his involvement in September, with four others suspects, including Homero Zamorano Jr., the 47-year-old driver of the tractor, awaiting trial.
Prosecutors said Covarrubias-Ponce was among those who organized the retrieval of the empty tractor trailer and its hand-off to Zamorano, who drove it to an address in the southern Texas border town of Laredo where the migrants were loaded onto the vehicle, which was then driven three hours to San Antonio.
Covarrubias-Ponce also admitted to accompanying the loaded tractor trailer, before it was abandoned on Quintana Road in San Antonio.
Following the discovery of the truck, President Joe Biden mourned the loss of life in a statement.
"Our prayers are with those who lost their lives, their loved ones, as well as those still fighting for their lives," he said.
"This tragedy was caused by smugglers or human traffickers who have no regard for the lives they endanger and exploit to make a profit."
