Border Bust: 7 Arrested in Guatemala for Deadly Human Smuggling Ring

Boom! In a major win for border security, Guatemalan law enforcement, with a helping hand from the U.S. Justice Department, just took down a human smuggling ring connected to the tragic deaths of 53 migrants in San Antonio a couple of years back.

Remember that awful scene in June 2022? Dozens of migrants were crammed into a tractor-trailer, left to bake in the Texas heat. It was a disaster, and 53 souls perished.

But justice is served! On Wednesday, seven bad hombres were arrested in what Attorney General Merrick Garland called a "horrific tragedy." Six are facing the music in Guatemala, but Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco, 47, is hitting the big time—he's been indicted in a U.S. federal court. He allegedly smuggled four migrants, charging them a cool $12,000 to $15,000 each. Three died, and one was severely injured.

U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza chimed in, "This was a complex operation and a major success... apprehending a key orchestrator of the horrendous smuggling operations."

Get this—the trailer was jam-packed with 65 migrants, no air conditioning, and when they arrived in San Antonio, 48 were already gone. It was a grim discovery, as San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood bluntly put it, "We are not supposed to open up a truck and see stacks of bodies in there."

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas didn't mince words either, "Smugglers prey on migrants... with complete disregard for human life."

This is a huge step in the right direction. We need more victories like this to secure our borders and protect innocent lives. Let's keep the pressure on and send a clear message to these criminal networks: your days are numbered.

For more details, check out the official U.S. Justice Department announcement.