The last foreign national charged in connection with the 2021 tractor-trailer crash in Chiapas, Mexico, which resulted in over 50 deaths and more than 100 injuries, pleaded guilty to smuggling charges on July 17. Tomas Quino Canil, a 38-year-old Guatemalan citizen, admitted to conspiring with others to transport illegal aliens from Guatemala through Mexico into the United States.
According to authorities, Quino Canil and his co-conspirators recruited Guatemalan nationals, collected payments amounting to thousands of dollars per person, and arranged for their transportation by various means including foot travel, microbuses, cattle trucks, and tractor-trailers. The smugglers sometimes provided unaccompanied minors with scripted language for use if apprehended by U.S. immigration officials. On December 9, 2021, more than approximately 150 people boarded a tractor-trailer that later crashed near Tuxtla Guiterrez in Chiapas.
“With Quino Canil’s guilty plea, every member of this smuggling conspiracy has now been held accountable for one of the deadliest human smuggling tragedies in recent memory,” said U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz. “These criminals packed more than 150 illegal aliens into a trailer like they were cargo. Fifty people then died at the hands of these foreign criminals. My office will continue hunting down anyone who profits from this trade in human suffering, no matter where they hide or how long it takes to bring them to American justice.” Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said, “Sadly, this preventable tragedy occurred because of these criminals’ callous disregard for the safety of men, women, and children… These defendants exploited vulnerable people and created an atmosphere with deadly consequences… These events will be investigated and prosecuted with the full resources of the Criminal Division.” Acting Executive Associate Director John A. Condon added, “This case stands as a stark reminder of the extreme dangers and devastating consequences caused by those who treat human lives as mere commodities… HSI will relentlessly pursue those who orchestrate and profit from such horrific crimes…”
Quino Canil faces up to life imprisonment and a possible $250,000 fine when sentenced on October 6 by U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo. Five other Guatemalans—Agapito Jorge Ventura (arrested in Cleveland), Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino, Daniel Zavala Ramos, Josefa Quino Canil de Zavala (extradited from Guatemala), Alberto Macario Chitic—previously pleaded guilty to similar charges.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations offices based in Washington D.C., Guatemala City and Mexico City alongside multiple domestic agencies as well as law enforcement partners from Guatemala’s Office of Public Ministry and Mexico’s Federal Prosecutions Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mary Lou Castillo and Jennifer Day are prosecuting the case along with Senior Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman from the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section.
The prosecution is supported by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), an initiative targeting high-impact human smuggling organizations throughout North America; JTFA’s work has resulted in hundreds of arrests and convictions across international jurisdictions, according to the Department of Justice.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas employs more than 200 attorneys covering federal crimes across six offices including Houston; its leadership history includes Alamdar Hamdani among others, according to the official website.