Suspected lorry driver in Texas migrant deaths was 'high on meth'

Homero Zamorano Jr was under the influence of the powerful synthetic drug when police found him hiding in bushes, court hears

Andrei Renteria holds his courtroom sketch, where Homero Zamorano Jr, the suspected driver of a lorry packed with dozens of migrants who died in blazing heat during a Texas smuggling attempt, attends a court hearing in San Antonio. Reuters

Yolanda Olivares is comforted by a relative during a Mass for the migrants who died in the lorry. Ms Olivares believes her sons Jair, 19, Yovani, 16, and her nephew Misael, 16, are among the migrants who died in the stifling lorry. Reuters

People gather for a special Mass for the migrants in San Antonio. Reuters

A relative of Wilmer Tulul, 14, who was among the migrants who died in the lorry, at the family's home in Tzucubal village in Guatemala. AFP

Another relative of Wilmer cries at his home in Guatemala. AFP

Wilmer, seen here on the mobile phone of a relative, was not the only teenager to die in the back of the lorry. Pascual Melvin Guachiac and his cousin Wilmer, both 13, also lost their lives after they suffocated in the stifling heat. AFP

Alfonso holds a picture of Pascual. Reuters

A memorial set up for the migrants in San Antonio. Reuters

Karen Caballero, mother of half-siblings Fernando Jose Redondo and Alejandro Miguel Andino, reacts during an interview after learning that her sons had died in the back of the lorry. Reuters

Christine and Michael Ybarra embrace at the scene where dozens of people were found dead inside a lorry in San Antonio, Texas. Reuters

At least 50 people believed to be migrant workers were found dead inside the vehicle. More than a dozen victims were found alive, suffering from heat stroke, and were taken to local hospitals. Getty Images / AFP

Police and officials man a roadblock near a lorry on the side of the road leading to the location where about 50 migrants were reportedly found dead. EPA

At least 16 people were found alive. EPA

Law enforcement officers work at the deadly scene in San Antonio. Reuters

All the victims are believed to be migrants who were trying to enter the US. Reuters

Police guard the scene where dozens of people were found dead. AP

San Antonio Police Chief William McManus addresses members of the media at the scene. Reuters

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg addresses the media at the scene where people were found dead inside a lorry. Reuters

San Antonio Fire Department Chief Charles Hood addresses members of the media. Reuters

Community members wait on the side of the road at the scene. Reuters

A woman visits at the scene where the people were found. Reuters

Rose Perez holds on to her mother, Scarlet Chavez, on the edges of the grim scene. Reuters

Law enforcement officers at the deadly scene. Reuters

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that at least 22 Mexicans are among the roughly 50 migrants who were found. EPA

Local priests from the San Antonio Archdiocese come to the deadly scene in San Antonio, Texas. AFP

The lorry was abandoned on the roadside on the outskirts of San Antonio. AFP

Sixteen people were taken to hospital for treatment. AFP

Local priests from the San Antonio Archdiocese stand near the scene. AFP

Onlookers gather at the scene. Reuters

Police patrol the area where the migrants were found. Reuters

The suspected driver of a lorry in which dozens of migrants died during a human trafficking attempt in Texas was allegedly under the influence of methamphetamine, a US politician told Reuters.

Texas native Homero Zamorano Jr was under the influence of the drug when San Antonio police found him hiding in bushes near the abandoned vehicle on Monday, documents filed in federal court said.

Fifty-three migrants died in blazing heat, making it the deadliest such trafficking incident on record in the US.

US Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district includes the eastern part of San Antonio, told Reuters on Thursday that Mr Zamorano, 45, was found to have had the powerful synthetic drug in his system.

Mr Cuellar said he had been briefed by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) but did not know how authorities made that determination. A CBP official told Reuters that Mr Zamorano had tested positive for the drug.

Mr Zamorano appeared in federal court in San Antonio on Thursday where human trafficking charges against him were read. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison or the death penalty and a fine of up to $250,000, he was told.

He was accompanied by public defender Jose Gonzalez-Falla, who declined to comment on the case. US Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Chestney said Mr Zamorano would be held in custody until his next hearing on July 6.

Officials described finding the lorry's rear door ajar with bodies stacked inside that were hot to the touch. In nearby bushes, officers discovered other victims, some deceased.

They found Mr Zamorano hiding near the victims and escorted him to a local hospital for medical evaluation, prosecutors said. Mexican officials said he had tried to pass himself off as one of the survivors.

The lorry had been carrying migrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, and was found in a desolate, industrial area near a motorway on the outskirts of San Antonio, near the US-Mexico border.

Temperatures in the area that day had soared above 39ºC. Authorities called to the scene found no water supplies or signs of a working air conditioning unit inside the back of the lorry.

Prosecutors allege Mr Zamorano conspired with Christian Martinez, 28, who was also charged with a human trafficking offence.

Mr Martinez on Monday sent a picture of a load manifest for the lorry to Mr Zamorano, who responded by saying, “I go to the same spot”, a federal investigator wrote in a court filing Wednesday.

Mr Martinez repeatedly messaged Mr Zamorano in the hours after but received no reply, wrote Nestor Canales, a special agent with the investigations division of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE).

Mr Martinez sent messages including “Call me bro” and “Wya bro”, meaning “where you at”, Mr Canales wrote.

A confidential informant for ICE and the Texas police spoke with Mr Martinez after the incident, Mr Canales wrote.

Mr Martinez told the informant that “the driver was unaware the air conditioning unit stopped working and was the reason why the individuals died”, Mr Canales said.