LAREDO, Texas (AP) — A Guatemalan man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a felony offense related to his involvement in an effort to illegally smuggle migrants into the United States, in connection with a tragic tractor-trailer crash in Mexico in December 2021 that claimed the lives of more than 50 migrants.
Daniel Zavala Ramos, 42, faces a potential life sentence after admitting to conspiring to transport undocumented migrants from Guatemala through Mexico to the U.S., endangering lives and contributing to serious injuries and deaths, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The sentencing for Ramos is scheduled for July 7. He is the first among six Guatemalan defendants charged in relation to the crash, which occurred when a semitrailer truck carrying about 160 migrants hit a support base of a pedestrian bridge. This collision resulted in at least 53 fatalities and over 100 injuries, with many victims trapped in the wreckage of the collapsed truck.
Authorities reported that unaccompanied minors were among the deceased. The incident has sparked significant attention toward smuggling operations, particularly concerning how smugglers provide scripts for minors on what to say in case they are caught. Ramos and the co-defendants allegedly utilized various transportation methods, including microbuses, cattle trucks, and tractor trailers, employing social media platforms to facilitate their operations.
Ramos was extradited from Guatemala in 2025 and has been cooperating with the U.S. judicial process, while the remaining five defendants are awaiting final pretrial conferences.
Daniel Zavala Ramos, 42, faces a potential life sentence after admitting to conspiring to transport undocumented migrants from Guatemala through Mexico to the U.S., endangering lives and contributing to serious injuries and deaths, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The sentencing for Ramos is scheduled for July 7. He is the first among six Guatemalan defendants charged in relation to the crash, which occurred when a semitrailer truck carrying about 160 migrants hit a support base of a pedestrian bridge. This collision resulted in at least 53 fatalities and over 100 injuries, with many victims trapped in the wreckage of the collapsed truck.
Authorities reported that unaccompanied minors were among the deceased. The incident has sparked significant attention toward smuggling operations, particularly concerning how smugglers provide scripts for minors on what to say in case they are caught. Ramos and the co-defendants allegedly utilized various transportation methods, including microbuses, cattle trucks, and tractor trailers, employing social media platforms to facilitate their operations.
Ramos was extradited from Guatemala in 2025 and has been cooperating with the U.S. judicial process, while the remaining five defendants are awaiting final pretrial conferences.
