Six Guatemalans have been charged with human smuggling in connection to a tragic semi-trailer truck crash in Mexico in 2021 that resulted in the deaths of over 50 migrants. The arrests were made in Guatemala and Texas on Monday, as announced by both U.S. and Guatemalan authorities.
The fatal incident occurred when a semi-trailer truck, carrying at least 160 migrants, many of whom were Guatemalans, crashed into a support for a pedestrian bridge in Tuxtla Gutierrez, the capital of Chiapas, a southern state in Mexico. The arrests of the individuals involved were disclosed on the third anniversary of the accident.
According to an indictment revealed on Monday in the Southern District of Texas, Guatemalan authorities took into custody Tomas Quino Canil, 36; Alberto Marcario Chitic, 31; Oswaldo Manuael Zavala Quino, 24; and Josefa Quino Canil de Zavala, 42. Additionally, Jorge Agapito Ventura was apprehended at his residence in Cleveland, Texas, as confirmed by U.S. officials. Guatemalan officials also reported a sixth arrest, although the sixth individual's name on the U.S. federal indictment was redacted.
