Four people have now been arrested in connection with her deadly smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of 53 people in the back of a semi-trailer near America's southern border, according to the Justice Department
Homero Zamorano, 45, was charged Wednesday with alleged smuggling of illegal immigrants to death, and Christian Martinez, 28, was charged with conspiracy to smuggle illegal aliens.
If convicted of the crimes, both Zamorano and Martinez face life in prison or possibly the death penalty.
Zamorano was identified as the driver of the truck after his Border Patrol Laredo area provided Internal Security (HSI) agents with surveillance footage of the truck crossing an immigration checkpoint.
"The driver appeared to be wearing a black striped shirt and a hat. "HSI agents confirmed that Zamorano matched the person from the surveillance video and wore the same clothes," the DOJ said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a Texas court heard that authorities identified Martinez by investigating cellphone communications he had with Zamorano about the smuggling operation, the department said.
Two Mexican nationals, Juan Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao and Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez, were arrested on Monday. The men were arrested on firearms-related offenses after leaving a San Antonio property listed as the registered address of the truck used in the smuggling operation.
The death toll of the victims is increasing
The death toll from a smuggling attempt since Monday has risen to 53.
Authorities were alerted to the situation by calls to 911. San Antonio police responded to the calls and discovered multiple people, many dead and some disabled, strewn on the ground, and some more inside the truck's trailer, the DOJ said.
Officers said their bodies were warm to the touch as temperatures in the area had risen to 103 degrees Fahrenheit (about 39 degrees Celsius).
San Antonio police found and arrested Zamorano, who was hiding near the truck after trying to escape.
The victims included 22 Mexican nationals, seven Guatemalan nationals, two Honduran nationals and 17 of unknown origin, but are suspected to be undocumented nationals, the Justice Department said.
The nationality composition of the victims was not fully known in the past. Undocumented people were identified with digital fingerprint technology.
