SAN ANTONIO — A fourth person has pleaded guilty to smuggling migrants in June 2022 in a case where 47 adults and six children died while being illegally transported in the back of a tractor-trailer.

What You Need To Know

  • A fourth person has pleaded guilty to smuggling migrants in June 2022 in a case where 47 adults and six children died while being illegally transported in the back of a tractor-trailer

  • Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal, aka Cowboy, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens placing lives in jeopardy. He could face a maximum of up to 20 years in prison

  • The case remains the deadliest smuggling attempt on the U.S.-Mexico border
  • Three other defendants have cases that are still pending

According to the Department of Justice, Luis Alberto Rivera-Leal, aka Cowboy, 38, was part of the human smuggling group that was responsible for a failed smuggling attempt on June 27, 2022, that brought migrant adults and children from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico into the U.S.

Rivera-Leal’s role in the operation was to meet tractor-trailers in San Antonio and transport some migrants to Houston in his personal vehicle, the DOJ reports. Smugglers transported migrants from Laredo to San Antonio in the trailer — which had no air conditioning in the brutal summer heat of South Texas.

Rivera-Leal pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens placing lives in jeopardy. He could face a maximum of up to 20 years in prison.

"HSI is investigating the case with the assistance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and has received tremendous support from Customs and Border Protection; Border Patrol; Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations; the San Antonio Police Department; the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office; the San Antonio Fire Department; the Marshall Police Department; and the Palestine Police Department," the DOJ statement reads.

According to the Associated Press, the truck was packed with 67 people total. Among the dead, 27 were from Mexico, 14 were from Honduras, seven were from Guatemala and two were from El Salvador, authorities in Mexico said. The case remains the deadliest smuggling attempt on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Back in January, Riley Covarrubias-Ponce, 31, pleaded guilty to their involvement in the smuggling operation. Covarrubias-Ponce helped coordinate the transportation of migrants with other members of the smuggling ring. The maximum sentence he could face is life in prison.

Christian Martinez, 29, pleaded guilty to his involvement in September 2023. Martinez was the first conviction for the U.S. government over the tragedy. He also faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Three other defendants have cases that are still pending; they include Homero Zamorano Jr., 47, the driver of the tractor trailer; Felipe Orduna-Torres aka Cholo, 29; and Armando Gonzales-Ortega, aka El Don, aka Don Gon, 54.