@japdmedia26: SAN ANTONIO, Texas, USA 🇺🇸 — A Guatemalan man has been sentenced to 30 years in U.S. federal prison for his role in a human-smuggling operation that left 53 migrants dead in June 2022. Rigoberto Ramon Miranda Orozco, 50, was sentenced on October 20, 2026. He admitted to arranging travel and accommodation for two people who died and another who suffered serious injuries. The tragedy unfolded when migrants were transported from Laredo to San Antonio in a tractor-trailer with malfunctioning air conditioning. Forty-eight people were found dead inside, while five others later died in hospitals. U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons said, "It was clear that they suffered tremendously in their last few hours on this earth," Investigators found evidence that passengers had tried to escape the trailer. Miranda Orozco's attorney, Alfonso Cabanas Jr., described the sentence as "very tough." He argued his client was in Guatemala during the journey and did not control the transportation arrangements or know about the cooling system failure. Cabanas also said he did not believe harsh punishments would "make a dent" in such operations, adding, "What we do need is comprehensive immigration reform," Guatemalan Attorney General Gabriel García Luna said, "They paid for a promise, and those who cashed in on that promise abandoned them to their fate," Miranda Orozco was arrested in Guatemala in 2024 and extradited to the United States in 2025. He pleaded guilty in July 2026. Other defendants have also received lengthy prison sentences, including Felipe Orduna-Torres, who was sentenced to life, and Armando Gonzales-Ortega, who received 83 years. Further sentencing proceedings remain pending in the case. The tragedy remains one of the deadliest human-smuggling incidents in U.S. history. #SanAntonio #Texas #USA #RigobertoOrozco #japd

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Wednesday 21 October 2026 18:26:15 GMT