A man involved in the smuggling operation that killed 53 migrants last year, has entered a guilty plea. The incident happened after being confined in the cramped back of a semi-truck in San Antonio. 

The man has been identified as Christian Martinez.

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Who is Christian Martinez?

Christian Martinez is 29 years old. He is a resident of Palestine, Texas. According to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas, Martinez entered a guilty plea on Wednesday to a number of charges, including endangering lives and transporting migrants that resulted in fatalities or serious bodily harm.

According to the US Attorney’s Office, Martinez could be given a maximum sentence of life in prison when he is sentenced on January 4.

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According to the US Attorney’s Office, Homero Zamorano Jr., a 47-year-old citizen of Elkhart, Texas, is also implicated in the case because he is thought to be the tractor-trailer’s driver.

As per reports, Martinez drove Zamorano from Palestine to San Antonio, where, according to the indictment published by the US Attorney’s Office, Zamorano picked up the empty tractor-trailer and loaded the migrants. Eight children and one pregnant woman were among the 66 migrants who were loaded onto the truck, according to the Department of Justice.

The US Attorney’s Office claims that Martinez and others then coordinated, enabled, and exchanged texts to monitor the tractor-trailer’s journey.

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As the DOJ previously revealed, officials were able to connect Martinez and Zamorano to the operation thanks to surveillance footage and phone records that were obtained through a search request.

Families throughout Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras were devastated by the horrific events of June 2022, which were later dubbed the deadliest human smuggling incident in US history. The tragedy’s effects were felt far and wide as police tried to identify the bodies from the abandoned vehicle.