A 42-year-old man from Guatemala entered a guilty plea Wednesday in federal court, admitting his role in a human trafficking operation that resulted in a catastrophic truck accident in Mexico that claimed over 50 lives in 2021.
Daniel Zavala Ramos now faces the possibility of life behind bars after entering his plea in U.S. District Court in Laredo, Texas. He admitted to one count of conspiracy to transport undocumented migrants from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States, an operation that put lives at risk and resulted in multiple deaths and serious injuries, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
His sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 7.
Ramos represents the first conviction among six Guatemalan nationals charged in connection with the semi-truck disaster. The remaining five defendants have a final pretrial conference scheduled for June 3, court documents show. Ramos’ legal representative did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday evening.
The tragic incident occurred on December 9, 2021, when a semi-trailer carrying at least 160 migrants, predominantly from Guatemala, struck the support structure of a pedestrian overpass and flipped over, according to authorities. The collision resulted in at least 53 fatalities and left more than 100 people injured. Video from the scene revealed the horrific aftermath, showing victims trapped in a tangled mass within the truck’s destroyed cargo container.
Among those who perished were unaccompanied minors, the Justice Department confirmed.
The accident took place on a highway approaching the capital of Chiapas state, approximately 160 miles from the Guatemala-Mexico border and roughly 1,400 miles south of the Texas-Mexico border.
Law enforcement announced the arrests of Ramos and his five co-defendants in Guatemala and Texas in 2024, marking the third anniversary of the tragedy. Ramos was transferred from Guatemala to face charges in 2025, the DOJ confirmed.
Federal prosecutors revealed that the Guatemalan group orchestrated a scheme to transport migrants from Guatemala through Mexico to the United States in exchange for money. When dealing with unaccompanied minors, the defendants allegedly coached them on what to say if caught by authorities.
The trafficking network transported people on foot and in various vehicles including small buses, livestock trucks, and tractor-trailers, authorities said. They also used Facebook Messenger to coordinate the provision of fake identification documents to help migrants enter the United States, according to investigators.
