‘High on meth’ truck driver pretended to be victim after Texas migrant deaths
- Four men have been arrested in connection with the deaths of 53 migrants during a smuggling attempt in Texas
- Suspected truck driver was arrested near the scene of the incident on Monday after he tried to pose as a survivor
The alleged driver of a truck packed with migrants who died in the sweltering Texas heat this week initially tried to pass himself off as a victim to evade authorities and may have been under the influence of narcotics during the smuggling attempt.
Those are among the details to emerge on Wednesday about a man authorities say is a central figure in one of the deadliest human trafficking incidents in US history. With the deaths of two more migrants, the total number of fatalities climbed to 53.
The driver was identified as 45-year-old Homero Zamorano, a US citizen who was detained Monday in a field near where the truck trailer was discovered in an industrial zone of San Antonio.
Zamorano was arrested by San Antonio police and later hospitalised for unspecified medical treatment, according to a US official, who said the suspect at first pretended to be a migrant and appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. The local daily San Antonio Express-News reported the man was “very high on meth”.
According to court records and an interview with his sister, Zamorano has a lengthy criminal history.
Zamorano was charged in US federal court on Wednesday with a single count of migrant smuggling resulting in death. He is one of four men arrested in connection to the tragedy.