LAREDO, Texas — Daniel Zavala Ramos, 42, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to a single felony count admitting his role in a smuggling scheme that culminated in a deadly 2021 tractor-trailer crash in Mexico.
In U.S. District Court in Laredo, prosecutors said Ramos conspired to transport undocumented migrants from Guatemala through Mexico toward the United States, conduct they say placed lives at risk and led to serious injuries and deaths. He faces a possible life sentence; sentencing is scheduled for July 7. Ramos is the first of six Guatemalans charged in connection with the semitrailer crash to be convicted. The other five defendants have a final pretrial conference set for June 3, court records show. Ramos’ attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Authorities say the crash occurred Dec. 9, 2021, when an overcrowded tractor-trailer — packed with at least 160 migrants, many from Guatemala — struck the support base of a pedestrian bridge and overturned on a highway en route to Chiapas’ capital. At least 53 people were killed and more than 100 injured. Video from the scene showed dead and wounded migrants piled inside the collapsed freight container; officials said victims included unaccompanied children.
The highway where the wreck occurred is about 160 miles (260 kilometers) from Mexico’s border with Guatemala and roughly 1,400 miles (2,300 kilometers) south of the U.S. border with Texas.
Authorities announced arrests of Ramos and five others in Guatemala and Texas in 2024 on the third anniversary of the crash; Ramos was extradited from Guatemala in 2025 to face U.S. charges, the Department of Justice said.
Prosecutors allege the group smuggled migrants for payment, at times supplying scripts for unaccompanied children to use if stopped. They reportedly transported migrants on foot, in microbuses, cattle trucks and tractor-trailers, and used Facebook Messenger to request and exchange identification documents intended to facilitate entry to the United States, according to the Justice Department.