SAN ANTONIO – The human smuggling organization responsible for the 2022 incident, which resulted in the deaths of 53 undocumented immigrants, was aware for three days that the cooling system in the semi-truck used for their transport was not working correctly, a co-conspirator testified Thursday.
On the fourth day of the federal trial for Felipe Orduna-Torres and Armando Gonzales-Ortega, co-conspirator Juan D’Luna Bilbao recounted the days leading up to the tragedy.
Bilbao, who has taken a plea deal for his role, told the jury that before June 27, 2022, he told a leader of the organization named Jose Martinez Olivera that the cooling system on the semi-truck was failing.
Bilbao said he was asked if he could get someone to fix it. He said yes, but not anytime soon.
Three days later, on June 27, 2022, Bilbao testified that Orduna-Torres called him early in the morning and instructed him to drop off the truck at a gas station at Interstate 35 and Loop 410.
Bilbao said he was told specifically to take the red truck with a malfunctioning cooling system instead of a working white truck because “the white one was smaller, but the red one was 53 feet long.”
When asked why he did not bring up the faulty cooling system, Bilbao said, “I was told not to ask any questions.”
Later that day, Bilbao said Orduna-Torres called him again, saying that something was not working and they had to make stops before hanging up on him.
Bilbao only learned of the deaths on Quintana Road from another co-conspirator later that evening.
Bilbao was arrested the same day authorities found the semi-truck, as it was registered to his home in San Antonio.
During cross-examination, Bilbao said he did not feel responsible for the deaths but expressed remorse.
Earlier in the week, during testimony, it was revealed that 64 migrants were being transported in the tractor-trailer from Laredo.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Fuchs said the immigrants were “essentially cooked” inside the tractor-trailer.
Fuchs also revealed a sophisticated human smuggling organization that had been operating for at least eight months before the Quintana Road tragedy. They brought in over a dozen transports from Laredo to San Antonio and immigrants paid up to $15,000 per person.
Fuchs identified Orduna-Torres as one of the organizers or leaders of the organization and Gonzales-Ortega as a coordinator who organized the transports.
Both Orduna-Torres and Gonzales-Ortega face up to life in prison if convicted. The trial will resume next week.
