Full Breakdown
Two Guatemalan Nationals Plead Guilty in U.S. Court Over Deadly 2021 Migrant Smuggling Crash
6/13/2026, 12:18:24 AM
Fatal Crash and Guilty Pleas
On June 11, 2026 a Texas federal court accepted the guilty pleas of Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala, 43, and Alberto Marcario Chitic, 32. Both Guatemalan nationals admitted conspiring to smuggle adults and unaccompanied children from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States. Their plea concerns the December 9, 2021 overturning of a tractor-trailer near Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico, which killed 55 migrants and injured dozens.
Smuggling Operation Background
The Justice Department says the defendants recruited migrants in Guatemala, collected payment, and arranged transport by foot, microbuses, cattle trucks, and a single tractor-trailer. In the fatal run an estimated 166 migrants were crammed into the trailer’s cargo compartment, leaving most able only to stand. Survivors reported the interior was “so tightly” that movement was impossible. Unaccompanied minors were given scripted language to recite if intercepted by U.S. authorities.
Key Figures
- Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala – 43, co-defendant, extradited from Guatemala in 2025.
- Alberto Marcario Chitic – 32, co-defendant, extradited from Guatemala in 2025.
- John G.E. Marck – Acting U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Texas, lead prosecutor.
- Daniel Zavala Ramos – 41, pleaded guilty in April 2026.
- Tomas Quino Canil (37) and Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino (25) – cases pending.
- Jorge Agapito Ventura – 33, arrested in Texas in December 2024.
Timeline of the Case
- Dec 9 2021 – Tractor-trailer crash kills 55 migrants.
- 2025 – De Zavala, Chitic, and three co-accused extradited from Guatemala.
- Apr 2026 – Daniel Ramos enters guilty plea.
- Jun 11 2026 – De Zavala and Chitic plead guilty in Texas.
- Sept 9 2026 – Sentencing before Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo.
Data & Statistics
- 166 migrants estimated in the trailer.
- 55 deaths, including a 16-year-old girl.
- >100 injuries reported.
- Victims primarily Guatemalan; also three Dominican Republic nationals, one Honduran, one Mexican, and one Ecuadorian among the injured.
- Maximum penalty: life imprisonment and up to $250,000 fine per defendant.
Official Statements & Responses
Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck described the network as a “calculated alien smuggling operation” that treated people “like a supply chain.” He noted that scripts for minors showed a “profit-driven” approach. The investigation was led by HSI’s Counter Proliferation Investigations Group and prosecuted under Joint Task Force Alpha, part of the DOJ’s Operation Take Back America.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The defendants ran a calculated alien smuggling operation that moved people across borders like a supply chain—recruiting them in Guatemala, collecting their money, and packing them into cattle trucks and tractor-trailers for a dangerous journey through Mexico,” — John G.E. Marck, Acting U.S. Attorney, Southern District of Texas
- “This was an organized, profit-driven network that even handed scripts to children so they could lie to law enforcement if caught entering the United States. That operation ended with the loss of more than 50 lives on a Mexican roadside, and today's convictions make clear that the Southern District of Texas will work to shut down these networks at every level.” — John G.E. Marck, Acting U.S. Attorney
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the exact nationalities of the injured: one report lists three Dominican Republic nationals, a Honduran, a Mexican, and an Ecuadorian, while another mentions only “dozens” without specifying. The precise number of migrants in the trailer varies between “more than 160” and “166,” reflecting uncertainty in survivor accounts.
What’s Next
Sentencing is set for September 9, 2026, where each defendant faces life imprisonment. Additional Guatemalan suspects remain in custody, and federal authorities continue to pursue related smuggling networks under Operation Take Back America. The case highlights ongoing challenges in dismantling transnational human-smuggling operations that exploit vulnerable migrants.
