A federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas has charged 14 people in connection with a long-running human smuggling operation that authorities say culminated in the deaths of seven people sealed inside an unventilated shipping container on a freight train.
BREAKING NEWS
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(@BBIC0N) November 10, 2026
The superseding indictment announced Monday adds three defendants to charges first brought against 11 people in July, according to a report from WOAI-TV.
The group includes four U.S. citizens, three non-citizens, and seven people in the country illegally.
Prosecutors alleged the network operated from at least April 2023 through May 2026, moving people across the border from Mexico and then farther inland by loading them into cargo containers on trains.
Fees paid by those being smuggled or their families ranged from $1,500 to $10,000.
Per DOJ: a federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas charged 14 people in a human-smuggling conspiracy after 7 aliens, including a child, died in a poorly ventilated shipping container.
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— White House Wire (@whwire) November 10, 2026
According to the indictment, the fatal episode began after the organization brought at least seven people, including a 14-year-old from Honduras, across the border near Del Rio, Texas.
On May 9, while a Union Pacific train sat stationary near the tracks, smugglers used bolt cutters to remove a lock from a stacked Conex container.
They placed the group inside and closed the doors from the outside. But the container had no ventilation or cooling, and outside temperatures that day reached the high 80s to low 90s.
“Those who show a reckless disregard for the rule of law and treat human beings like cargo for their own financial gain will be held accountable under this administration. Cases like these are exactly why President Trump established the Homeland Security Task Force to strengthen our efforts to keep Americans safe from transnational crime.” -@AAGDuva
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The train traveled toward San Antonio. Prosecutors said the smugglers fled, leaving one person dead near the tracks and the others still locked inside. The train continued south.
The next day in Laredo, a railyard worker noticed a leg protruding from the container. Six people were found dead inside, and the seventh body was later located near the tracks in San Antonio.
Four of the dead were Mexican nationals and three were Honduran, including the child. Investigators said at least one person inside sent a message to family asking for help.
The Justice Department said that “12 defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy.”
The case is being handled by Homeland Security Investigations offices in multiple cities, Border Patrol, and local agencies, and falls under the Homeland Security Task Force.
14 Charged in Deadly Texas Smuggling Case After Seven Migrants Found Deceased
A federal grand jury in West Texas has charged 14 people in an alleged human smuggling operation linked to the deaths of seven migrants who prosecutors say were locked inside a shipping container aboard a freight train….
https://t.co/NYkyCw9YkQ
— RN Oregon (@RightNowOregon) November 9, 2026
Named defendants include Karina Garcia and Edson Alejandro Perez of Del Rio, Eric Hernandez of Eagle Pass, and others from Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala.
Officials described the operation as treating people as cargo and said similar train-based smuggling attempts have been interrupted in recent months. No trial dates have been set.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
The post 14 Indicted in Texas Human Smuggling Ring That Killed 7 People appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.