Guatemalan Man Pleads Guilty in Fatal 2021 Migrant Truck Crash

A Guatemalan national pleaded guilty on Wednesday in Laredo, Texas, admitting his role in a migrant smuggling attempt connected to a deadly 2021 truck crash in Mexico that left more than 50 migrants dead, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Daniel Zavala Ramos, 42, entered his plea to a federal charge of conspiracy to bring undocumented migrants from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States, resulting in deaths and serious injuries. The plea was entered in U.S. District Court, with sentencing scheduled for July 7. According to the Justice Department, Ramos could face up to life in prison. His attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Authorities said Ramos was one of six Guatemalans charged in connection with the case and the first to be convicted. The remaining five defendants are set for a final pretrial conference on June 3, court records show. Ramos was arrested in Guatemala and extradited to the U.S. in 2025, following coordinated actions by authorities in Guatemala and Texas.

The charge stems from an incident on December 9, 2021, when a tractor-trailer packed with at least 160 migrants, many from Guatemala, crashed into a pedestrian bridge support on a highway in Chiapas state, Mexico. The impact caused the truck to overturn, killing at least 53 people and injuring more than 100, officials reported. The deceased included unaccompanied children.

Prosecutors allege the group organized the movement of migrants through various means—on foot and in vehicles such as microbuses and cattle trucks—providing scripts to unaccompanied minors on how to answer questions if apprehended. They also used Facebook Messenger to coordinate and transmit identification documents to facilitate entry into the United States, authorities said.

The investigation into the network remains ongoing. The five other defendants charged in the case await further court proceedings.