The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that two Guatemalan nationals, Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala and Alberto Marcario Chitic, pleaded guilty to their involvement in a human smuggling operation that led to a deadly tractor-trailer crash in Mexico in December 2021, resulting in 56 fatalities and over 100 injuries. The two were part of a group of five Guatemalan nationals extradited to the United States in 2025 to face charges related to conspiring to bring illegal immigrants into the country. Federal officials indicated that the crash was a consequence of previous border policies. DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stated that the case exemplifies the dangers posed by human smugglers. The operation involved a network that treated migrants as commodities, with smugglers recruiting individuals in Guatemala and transporting them in unsafe conditions. The prosecution was led by Joint Task Force Alpha, which has made significant arrests and convictions in connection with illegal immigrant smuggling.
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Guatemalan Nationals Plead Guilty in Human Smuggling Case Linked to Fatal Crash
Two Guatemalan nationals have pleaded guilty to their roles in a human smuggling operation linked to a 2021 crash in Mexico that killed 56 people. The Department of Homeland Security reported that the operation involved unsafe transportation of migrants and was part of a larger network. The case was prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha, which has made numerous arrests in similar cases.
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EXCLUSIVE: Guatemalan nationals plead guilty to horrific human smuggling crash that killed 56, injured 100+
Guatemalan Nationals Plead Guilty in Human Smuggling Case Linked to Fatal Crash