Final human smuggler extradited from Guatemala for 2021 mass casualty event in Chiapas, Mexico

LAREDO, Texas – A 41-year-old Guatemalan national is set to make his initial appearance in U.S. federal court on charges stemming from a crash of a tractor-trailer packed with at least 160 illegal aliens – many of them Guatemalan – that killed more than 50 people, including unaccompanied children, and injured over 100 more, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Authorities arrested Daniel Zavala Ramos aka Dany ZR in Boquerón, Guatemala, Aug. 7 pursuant to a U.S. extradition request, and he was surrendered to U.S. authorities Oct. 21. He is now expected to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga in Laredo at 9:30 a.m.

The extradition is the result of sustained coordination between the Justice Department and Guatemalan authorities following an international enforcement operation carried out Dec. 9, 2024, the third anniversary of the tragedy. The extradition marks yet another significant step in the Justice Department’s efforts to bring those responsible to justice.

Also charged are Tomas Quino Canil, 37, Oswaldo Manuel Zavala Quino aka Osvaldo ZQ, 25, Josefa Quino Canil De Zavala, 43, and Alberto Marcario Chitic aka Alberto De Jesus, 32, who were all taken into custody in Guatemala Dec. 9, 2024. U.S. authorities arrested Jorge Agapito Ventura aka Jorge Ventura, George Ventura or El Raitero, 33, at his residence in Cleveland, Texas, the same day. All are now in federal custody pending further criminal proceedings.

All six are charged with conspiracy to bring illegal aliens into the United States, placing life in jeopardy, causing serious bodily injuries and resulting in death.

According to court documents, from October 2021 to February 2023, all six worked with other smugglers to facilitate the travel of illegal aliens from Guatemala through Mexico into the United States. They allegedly recruited them, collected payment and arranged travel by foot, microbuses, cattle trucks and tractor-trailers.

In some instances, the scheme allegedly involved the smuggling of unaccompanied minors. According to the charges, they also provided illegal aliens with scripts and instructions on what to say if apprehended. The indictment further alleges some of the individuals they recruited died or suffered serious bodily injury as a result of the Dec. 9, 2021, crash.

If convicted, all face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s – Homeland Security Investigations’ Counter Proliferation Investigations Group in Washington D.C. conducted the joint investigation with HSI offices in Guatemala and Mexico with substantial assistance of HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit and HSI offices in Houston and Laredo, Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center, Operation Sentinel, Border Patrol, Liberty County Constable, Precinct 6; ICE - Enforcement and Removal Operations in Houston, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas and Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions. Guatemalan and Mexican prosecutors, with the support of law enforcement officials from both countries, were also instrumental in furthering the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Day and Mary Lou Castillo are prosecuting the case along with Senior Trial Attorney Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section with substantial assistance from HRSP Latin American Specialist/Historian Joanna Crandall.

The indictment is the result of the coordinated efforts of Joint Task Force Alpha. JTFA, a partnership with Department of Homeland Security, has been elevated and expanded with a mandate to target cartels and transnational criminal organizations to eliminate human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama and Colombia that impact public safety and the security of our borders. JTFA currently comprises detailees from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along the southwest border, including the Southern District of California, Districts of Arizona and New Mexico and Western and Southern Districts of Texas. Dedicated support is provided by the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, led by the Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Office of Enforcement Operations and the Office of International Affairs, among others. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from DHS, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other partners. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 420 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers and significant facilitators of alien smuggling; more than 370 U.S. convictions; more than 315 significant jail sentences imposed; and forfeitures of substantial assets.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the DOJ to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.