11 Indicted in Texas Train Smuggling Deaths of Seven

A federal grand jury in Del Rio, Texas, has indicted 11 individuals for their alleged roles in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of seven migrants who were trapped inside a sealed shipping container on a freight train in May. The indictment, announced by federal officials on July 24, charges the defendants with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and aiding and abetting the transport of illegal aliens resulting in death. Each faces a potential sentence of life in prison if convicted.

According to court documents, the smuggling network had been operating since at least April 2023. The alleged scheme involved using cargo trains to move migrants deeper into the United States after they crossed from Mexico. Migrants or their families reportedly paid between $1,500 and $10,000 to individuals in Honduras, Mexico, and the United States for passage.

The fatal incident began in late April 2026, when the group allegedly moved seven migrants from Acuña, Mexico, into the Del Rio, Texas, area. On the afternoon of May 9, while a Union Pacific train was stationary in Del Rio, members of the organization used bolt cutters to sever the lock on a...