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Guatemalan Man Pleads Guilty in Deadly Migrant Smuggling Case

4/9/2026

31 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

Daniel Zavala Ramos, a Guatemalan man, pleaded guilty in federal court in Laredo, Texas, to conspiring to smuggle migrants into the United States and faces a potential life sentence.
The 2021 tractor-trailer crash near the Chiapas state capital killed more than 50 migrants and involved at least 160 people, with sentencing scheduled for July 7.
Ramos is the first of six charged in connection with the incident.

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Story summary

Daniel Zavala Ramos, a Guatemalan man, pleaded guilty in federal court in Laredo, Texas, to conspiring to smuggle migrants into the United States and faces a potential life sentence.
The 2021 tractor-trailer crash near the Chiapas state capital killed more than 50 migrants and involved at least 160 people, with sentencing scheduled for July 7.
Ramos is the first of six charged in connection with the incident.