McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — Two men have been convicted and another has been extradited from Guatemala to the United States for their roles in a smuggling event in June 2022 that resulted in 53 migrants found dead inside a trailer in San Antonio, Justice Department officials said.

A federal jury on Tuesday convicted Felipe Orduna-Torres, 30, aka “Cholo,” “Chuequito,” and “Negro,” as well as Armando Gonzalez-Ortega, 55, aka “El Don” and “Don Gon,” on charges they conspired with others as part of an alien smuggling organization that loaded 66 migrants into a tractor-trailer that lacked air conditioning, and drove the group north across the U.S.-Mexico border and on a Texas interstate from Laredo through sweltering South Texas heat, the Justice Department said.

Testimony during trial found that by the time the trailer reached San Antonio on June 27, 2022, 48 immigrants had already died and five more died after being transported to local hospitals. They included six children and a pregnant woman.

Eleven others were injured.

Evidence presented at trial said the defendants conspired with others to charge the migrants $12,000 to $15,000 each to be smuggled into the United States.

Orduna-Torres and Gonzalez-Ortega were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death, one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy, one count of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death, and one count of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy. For both counts resulting in death, they each face a maximum penalty of life in prison.

They are to be sentenced on June 27.

Another man, Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco, 48, an alleged leader of a Guatemala-based alien smuggling organization, was extradited from Guatemala to the United States. He faces charges for his alleged role in the San Antonio deaths.

According to court documents, Miranda-Orozco conspired with other smugglers to facilitate the travel of four migrants from Guatemala through Mexico, and ultimately, to the United States. He is alleged to be responsible for smuggling three migrants who died in the tractor-trailer.

He was arrested in August in Guatemala and was indicted in the Western District of Texas.

He made an initial court appearance on Monday in federal District Court in San Antonio and was arraigned on the indictment charging him with one count of conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States resulting in death, three counts of aiding and abetting bringing an alien to the United States resulting in death, one count of conspiracy to bring an alien to the United States causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy, and one count of aiding and abetting bringing an alien to the United States causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.

“The extradition of Miranda-Orozco to U.S. custody is a major step in the takedown of a large and complex human smuggling organization he is alleged to be a part of,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas. “Just as we’ve shown throughout the trial of Orduna-Torres and Gonzalez-Ortega, we will continue to prosecute this case aggressively seeking justice for those who have perished, and holding accountable those who illegally value profit over human life.”

The deaths were the worst mass casualty involving migrants in U.S. history.

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aggressively targets human smugglers, no matter where they operate or how far they think they can hide,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio. “These verdicts reflect the scope and depth of our human smuggling investigations. From country of origin to final destination, our special agents have worked tirelessly to track these criminals down and dismantle their entire smuggling network. One by one we are seeing the consequences of human smuggling as the justice system prevails.”

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.