Martinez sent Zamorano several more text messages that afternoon, the San Antonio Express-News reported. At 12:17 p.m., he shared a photo showing a truck load manifest and at 12:44 p.m., he shared GPS coordinates that led to an address in Laredo. An affidavit indicated that Martinez exchanged multiple text messages with Zamorano on Monday.
He appears to have played a critical role coordinating with Zamorano. Gonzalez-Falla, did not respond to a request for comment.Īnother man, Christian Martinez, 28, has been charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death. Border Patrol later reviewed surveillance footage from an immigration checkpoint near Laredo that showed the tractor-trailer - along with its driver, Zamorano. Officers recovered his cellphone, hat and wallet, which included his photo ID. The judge set additional hearings for Wednesday.Īccording to an affidavit presented in court, local police detained Zamorano shortly after they arrived at the site of the tractor-trailer late Monday. If convicted, he could face a sentence of up to life in prison or the death penalty. Chestney he faced a charge of transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death. The truck’s driver, Homero Zamorano Jr., 45, made his first appearance in federal court in San Antonio on Thursday, and he was informed by U.S.
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The truck in San Antonio that transported the migrants had the same red color and identifying numbers from the federal and state departments of transportation as a Betancourt Trucking and Harvesting vehicle, the Alamo-based trucking company’s owners said.įour men are in custody in connection with the deaths, including the driver and two men found at a Bexar County address connected to the truck’s actual registration, officials said. Texas authorities did not respond to requests seeking the number of reports of truck identity theft annually in Texas. “They’re using cloned trucks and vehicles that appear to be legitimate, that look like they’re legitimate, that’s easy to pass through the particular checkpoint, but I can assure you our troopers will be able to identify whether they’re legitimate or not and take action at that point in time,” McCraw said. Officials declined to say where the checkpoints will be, saying they didn’t want to give away their positioning to criminals, but noted they would not be stationed at the ports of entry. But as a result of the recent tragedy, his agency will focus on cracking down on the clones at the new state inspection checkpoints announced by Gov. Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Wednesday that once a smuggler has assumed a legitimate truck’s identity, it’s easy for them to slip through border inspections. “They can confirm the number that are caught, but there’s no way to confirm how many are out there.” “How would you even know your truck was being cloned unless something bad happened?” said John Esparza, president and CEO of the Texas Trucking Association.
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