The driver of the Texas migrant truck, in which the bodies of 51 dead migrants were found, was very high on meth, revealed officials after taking him into custody. Homero Zamorano, from Pasadena, Texas, was captured in a nearby field after he left his truck abandoned.
Fifty one migrants were found dead in his 18-wheeler-tractor trailer from a San Antonio area on Monday.
Driver Was Very High On Meth
The dead bodies were found shortly before 6 pm by a worker from a building near where the truck was parked on Interstate 35 near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, officials said.
The worker heard calls for help coming from the truck and opened the rear doors to find the bodies and people inside. There was no air conditioning or water in the trailer, officials said. The people inside the trailer were hot to the touch and suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion. Temperatures on Monday rose to 100 degrees in San Antonio.
A law enforcement official told the San Antonio Express News that he was very high on meth when he was arrested nearby and had to be taken to the hospital.
Deadliest Human Smuggling
In connection with the case, officials later arrested two more men Juan Claudio D'Luna-Mendez and Juan Francisco D'Luna-Bilbao, who were charged with possessing firearms illegally.
It wasn't immediately clear what alleged involvement those two men had in the smuggling tragedy or if they will face additional charges.
Authorities have identified at least 27 Mexicans, seven Guatemalans, and two Hondurans thus far, according to Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and Consul of Mexico Ruben Minutti-Zanatta. The nationalities of the other victims have yet to be identified, according to New York Post.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus described the case as the deadliest human smuggling incident he could recall in the city.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Chris Magnus stated that "horrified at this tragic loss of life near San Antonio. This speaks to the desperation of migrants who would put their lives in the hands of callous human smugglers who show no regard for human life," reported The Texas Tribune.
If convicted, Zamorano will face death penalty.
