SAN ANTONIO – Federal prosecutors in San Antonio announced Friday the indictment of 11 people connected to the deaths of seven migrants, including a 14-year-old, who were locked inside a sealed, unventilated shipping container on a Union Pacific train in May.
The indictment, unsealed Friday morning, was filed July 22 in the Western District of Texas’s Del Rio Division.
Nine of the 11 defendants are in custody. The other two suspects — Karina Garcia and Seferino Huerta-Casillas — remain at large.
According to the indictment, on May 9, 2026, smugglers used red bolt cutters to cut the lock off a Conex shipping container on a stationary Union Pacific train in Del Rio. They loaded seven people inside — migrants who had recently crossed illegally from Mexico — before shutting the door.
Investigators said the container was stacked on top of another shipping container, had no ventilation and could not be opened from the inside.
Outside temperatures that day ranged from 88 to 92 degrees.
As the train traveled east toward San Antonio, officials said the people inside began to panic. They sweated profusely and gasped for air. At least one messaged a loved one and pleaded for help, according to the indictment.
When the train arrived in San Antonio, smugglers opened the container door, discovered the migrants in peril and fled — leaving one person dead near the railroad tracks. The train then continued south to Laredo.
On the following day, a Union Pacific rail yard worker in Laredo spotted a leg protruding from a container. Six more people were found dead inside.
The seven victims were four Mexican nationals and three Honduran nationals, including the 14-year-old.
U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas held a joint press conference Friday morning with Homeland Security Special Agent in Charge John Pasciucco to announce the charges.
“Each of these individuals paid anywhere from $1,500 to $10,000 to be brought across by this alien smuggling organization only to die in the sweltering Texas heat,” Simmons said.
The U.S. attorney said the smuggling organization had been operating since at least April 2023. The organization used the Union Pacific rail system to move migrants past U.S. Border Patrol checkpoints along U.S. Highway 90 between Del Rio and San Antonio.
“Those thinking about entering this country illegally: don’t,” Simmons said. “You do not have to turn your life over to smugglers and the cartels with which they work because they don’t care about your life. They only care about your money.”
The 11 defendants face two federal counts: conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death, and aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
Among the defendants are four U.S. citizens, five non-U.S. citizens and two lawful, permanent residents.
The indictment also seeks forfeiture of property connected to the alleged smuggling operation, including $53,000 in cash, three firearms and multiple vehicles.
Federal investigators are asking anyone with information on the whereabouts of Garcia or Huerta-Casillas to contact Homeland Security Investigations or any local law enforcement agency.
The case was investigated by HSI San Antonio, Laredo Police Department, Texas DPS and U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Del Rio and Laredo sectors.
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