Smugglers sentenced to decades in prison 3 years after 53 migrants found dead in back of truck in Texas
CBSN
Two smugglers convicted of federal charges in connection with the deaths of 53 migrants found in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer in Texas in 2022 were sentenced to decades in prison on Friday.
Felipe Orduna-Torres, 32, and Armando Gonzales-Ortega, 55, are to be the first of several defendants sentenced in the San Antonio tragedy, which remains the nation's deadliest human smuggling attempt across the U.S.-Mexico border. In March, a jury deliberated for only about an hour before convicting the men of being part of a human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in death and injury.
Orduna-Torres, who prosecutors described as the leader of the smuggling operation, was given two life sentences and an additional 20 years on a third count to be served consecutively, according to CBS affiliate KENS. Gonzales-Ortega was sentenced to 87.5 years in prison. Prosecutors had described Gonzales-Ortega as Orduna-Torres' top assistant.
