Photo: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP/Getty
A man allegedly driving a tractor trailer in which dozens of people were found dead in San Antonio, Texas, is now in custody and charged with alien smuggling resulting in death, the Department of Justice said.
On Monday, the San Antonio Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations were alerted to an alleged “human smuggling event involving a tractor trailer” in which 64 people were suspected of illegally entering the United States, the DOJ said in a release on Wednesday.
Eric Gay/AP/Shutterstock
He has been charged with one count of alien smuggling resulting in death and could face up to life in prison or the death penalty if he’s convicted, per the DOJ.
RELATED VIDEO: San Antonio Fire Chief Details Gruesome Scene After 46 People Found Dead in Trailer: ‘Stacks of Bodies’
A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)confirmed to PEOPLEearlier Wednesday that three additional suspects were in custody.
In its release, the DOJ identified the three other suspects.
Police block the scene where a truck with multiple dead bodies was discovered in San Antonio, Texas.Eric Gay/AP/Shutterstock
Mexican citizens Juan Claudio D’Luna-Mendez, 23, and Juan Francisco D’Luna-Bilbao, 48, are also in custody and made their first court appearances on Monday.
Their alleged connection to the incident was discovered after police confirmed the registration for the tractor trailer belonged to a San Antonio resident. “SAPD officers set up surveillance on the residence and observed two males leaving in separate trucks. After traffic stops on both trucks, the drivers were identified as D’Luna-Mendez and D’Luna-Bilbao,” the DOJ said.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.
D’Luna-Bilbao also allegedly had a handgun in the center console of the truck he was driving, and more weapons were found after police executed a search warrant at his home.
source: people.com
