As part of a Homeland Security Task Force case, a federal grand jury in Del Rio returned an indictment this week charging 11 defendants for their alleged involvement in an attempted alien smuggling operation that resulted in multiple illegal aliens being found dead inside a shipping container in May.
According to the indictment, from at least April 2023 through May 12, 2026, the defendants and others operated a human smuggling organization that illegally used cargo trains to smuggle aliens further into the United States after illegally crossing them from Mexico. Each smuggled alien, or their families and friends, paid smugglers in Honduras, Mexico, the United States, and elsewhere between $1,500 and $10,000.
The indictment alleges that, toward the end of April 2026, the organization began facilitating the smuggling of at least seven aliens from Acuña, Mexico into Del Rio. On or about May 9, after the smugglers illegally crossed the seven aliens from Mexico into the Del Rio area, the organization transported the aliens to an area near the Union Pacific train tracks in Del Rio. From approximately 1:18 p.m. to 1:25 p.m., while a Union Pacific train was stationary, smugglers, using red bolt cutters, allegedly cut the lock off a Conex shipping container’s door, loaded the aliens into the container, and then shut the door.
The shipping container was stacked on top of another and had no ventilation or cooling system. Based on the investigation, the recorded outside temperatures for that day ranged from 88 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit. In total, seven aliens were loaded into the container, including one 14-year-old child. It was secured from the outside and could not be opened from the inside. The train then departed Del Rio and traveled east along U.S. highway 90 to San Antonio.
Once the train arrived in San Antonio, smugglers opened the door to the Conex container and discovered the aliens in peril. The smugglers then fled the scene, allegedly leaving one of the deceased aliens near the railroad tracks. Smugglers left the remaining aliens in the shipping container. The next day, the train departed south along its route to Laredo.
On May 10, a worker at the Union Pacific Rail Yard in Laredo saw a leg sticking out from a Conex shipping container. Upon inspection, six aliens were discovered deceased in the shipping container. Laredo law enforcement contacted San Antonio agents for assistance. Later, San Antonio law enforcement discovered the seventh alien deceased and abandoned by the railroad tracks in San Antonio. Ultimately, seven aliens died from being in the Conex shipping container—four were Mexican nationals and three were Honduran nationals. One of the aliens was a 14-year-old child. The investigation revealed that at least one alien messaged a loved one, pleading for help.
The 11 defendants charged are:
- Karina Garcia, 37, of Del Rio
- Edson Alejandro Perez, 18, of Del Rio
- Seferino Huerta-Casillas, 35, of Mexico
- Jonas Ulloa-Aguilera, 25, of Honduras
- Mayra Alejandra Huerta, 32, of Del Rio
- Maria Norma Neri de Moran, 56, of Mexico
- Damian Huerta Analucas, 55, of Mexico
- Rosario Cristal Lopez-Saldana, 26, of Mexico
- Eric Hernandez, 40, of Eagle Pass
- Franklin Williams Ayala Aguilera, 30, of Honduras
- Pascual Raymundo Loarca, 34, of Guatemala
Mayra Alejandra Huerta was arrested May 12 in Del Rio and initially charged with one count of harboring illegal aliens. She has remained in federal custody and now faces two charges in today’s indictment. Last week, eight other defendants were arrested over a multi-day HSTF operation across central and south Texas. Two defendants, Karina Garcia and Seferino Huerta-Casillas, remain at large.
All 11 are charged with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and one count of aiding and abetting transport of illegal aliens resulting in death. If convicted, the defendants will each face up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Spears, Todd Keagle, and Ashley Ellis-Dotson are prosecuting the case.
The original announcement can be found here.
