Human smugglers put migrants in suitcases and crates, US prosecutors say

New indictments part of effort by President Joe Biden's administration to beak up human trafficking networks

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

Officials in US President Joe Biden's administration announced charges on Tuesday against a profitable human trafficking operation they allege brought migrants — some in suitcases and even water tanks — across the southern border, as the number of illegal border crossings continues to rise.

Associated court documents and those involved with the case say that eight people were indicted for playing a part in smuggling hundreds of people into the country, some hidden in wooden crates on lorries in blistering heat. Another six co-conspirators were cited in the court record.

At a news conference in Washington on Tuesday, US officials with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security said the alleged smugglers were indifferent to human life and concerned only with financial gain.

“They have become increasingly intertwined with the [Mexican drug] cartels and there is increasing evidence of the abuse, exploitation and violence they perpetrate on migrants,” said John Tien, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

“For too long, they have acted with seeming impunity.”

The indictments are part of an expansive effort by President Joe Biden's administration to halt smuggling networks as border arrests creep up towards two million this fiscal year, which began last October.

US prosecutors identified Erminia Serrano Piedra, a Texas resident known as “Boss Lady”, as the mastermind of the operation, which they said generated millions of dollars.

Ms Serrano Piedra deposited more than $1.3 million in two bank accounts between December 2017 and August 2021, though reported only $120,000 to financial institutions, prosecutors claimed in a pretrial motion unsealed on Tuesday.

There was no lawyer listed for Ms Serrano Piedra in a US court record database, according to Reuters.

In June, 53 migrants died after they were trapped in an unventilated lorry in San Antonio, Texas, during an unsuccessful smuggling attempt. Four men, including the alleged driver, have been charged in that incident.

Crackdown on human trafficking — in pictures

Reuters contributed to this report