A joint operation by U.S. and Guatemalan authorities has led to the arrest of six people associated with a deadly truck accident in Mexico in 2021. The accident, which killed over 50 migrants, has been linked to a human trafficking ring.
Six Arrested in Human Trafficking Ring Linked to Fatal Migrant Accident
Six Arrested in Human Trafficking Ring Linked to Fatal Migrant Accident
Authorities in the U.S. and Guatemala have arrested six individuals tied to a tragic accident that claimed over 50 migrant lives in Mexico, revealing a wider human smuggling operation.
Five individuals were arrested in Guatemala and one in Texas on human smuggling charges as part of an investigation into one of the deadliest traffic accidents involving migrants in recent history. The accident occurred on December 9, 2021, when a truck transporting at least 160 migrants overturned near Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas state, Mexico. Reports indicated that the truck was speeding when it lost control on a sharp curve, crashing into a pedestrian bridge and construction sites, resulting in over 50 fatalities and injuring more than 100 others, with many victims being Guatemalan.
The recent arrests took place on the third anniversary of this tragic event. Guatemalan officials, at the behest of U.S. authorities, apprehended four suspects believed to be part of the human smuggling scheme: Tomas Quino Canil, Alberto Marcario Chitic, Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, and Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala. In addition, a fifth individual, Jorge Agapito Ventura, was taken into custody at his home in Cleveland, Texas. A sixth suspect was also arrested, but their identity remains undisclosed in the unsealed indictment.
The indicted individuals are charged in the Southern District of Texas with conspiracy to ferry undocumented migrants into the U.S. and placing those migrants in dangerous situations that resulted in serious injury and loss of life. The investigations continue as authorities aim to dismantle the trafficking ring linked to this devastating accident.
