A federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas issued a superseding indictment against 14 individuals allegedly tied to the deaths of seven illegal aliens who perished after being locked in a poorly ventilated shipping container. The indictments charge four United States citizens, three non-citizens, and seven illegal aliens for their alleged roles in the conspiracy to smuggle aliens into the United States.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the incident occurred on May 10 when a Union Pacific rail yard worker discovered several people in a shipping container on a parked train in Laredo, Texas. The employee notified authorities, who discovered six suspected illegal aliens deceased in the container. Among those found deceased was a minor.
As the investigation progressed, authorities in San Antonio, Texas, later discovered another deceased illegal alien along railroad tracks just outside the city. Based on the route the train took from the border, investigators believe that the death is connected to the Laredo discovery.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, those indicted for their suspected roles in the morbid alien smuggling scheme include:
- Karina Garcia, 37, of Del Rio, Texas;
- Edson Alejandro Perez, 18, of Del Rio;
- Seferino Huerta-Casillas, 35, an illegal alien from Mexico;
- Jonas Ulloa-Aguilera, 25, an illegal alien from Honduras;
- Mayra Alejandra Huerta, 32, of Del Rio;
- Maria Norma Neri de Moran, 56, of Mexico;
- Damian Huerta Analucas, 55, of Mexico;
- Rosario Cristal Lopez-Saldana, 26, an illegal alien from Mexico;
- Eric Hernandez, 40, of Eagle Pass, Texas;
- Franklin Williams Ayala Aguilera, 30, an illegal alien from Honduras;
- Pascual Raymundo Loarca, 34, an illegal alien from Guatemala;
- Juan Alvaro Membreno-Contreras, 40, an illegal alien from Honduras;
- Yuri Julissa Cuaresma Paredes, 34, of Honduras; and
- Mavis Aleyda Escalante Peraza, 38, an illegal alien from Honduras.
According to court documents, the defendants operated a human smuggling organization that relied on trains to move illegal aliens from the border region farther into the United States from at least April 2023 through May 12, 2026. Authorities believe the illegal aliens, or their families or friends, were responsible for fees between $1,500 and $10,000 to smugglers in several different countries.
Once across the border, the illegal aliens would be loaded into shipping containers on rail cars for shipment into the interior of the United States. Authorities say the tragic event that was responsible for the deaths of seven illegal aliens began with preparations in February 2026. The group of illegal aliens would be locked into the container on or about May 9 with no ventilation or cooling.
Court documents show the container was first loaded in Del Rio, where smugglers cut the lock off a Conex container and sealed the illegal aliens inside. The train then traveled to San Antonio, where temperatures reached 92 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the railcar arrived in San Antonio, smugglers opened the container and discovered the occupants were in peril and fled the scene.
The train then traveled to Laredo, Texas, where the Union Pacific rail yard worker discovered a human leg protruding from the container door on May 10. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, four of the deceased were Mexican nationals and three were Honduran nationals, including a 14-year-old child. The investigation revealed that at least one victim messaged a loved one, pleading for help.
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas commented on the deadly smuggling case, saying:
Seven people are dead as the result of another callous alien smuggling scheme. There have been multiple rail car alien smuggling interdictions over the last many months. Aliens found alive in those schemes will probably never realize how fortunate they are to have survived. 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. Should you survive the journey, when we find you in the United States, you will be removed. To those alien smuggling organizations like the one responsible for these seven deaths, your date with American justice will come, and when it does, we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before retiring, he served as Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
