Houston, United States

A Guatemalan man was sentenced in Texas on Tuesday to 30 years in prison for his involvement in the deaths of 53 migrants crammed into a sweltering tractor-truck that had crossed the Mexican-US border in 2022.

Rigoberto Miranda Orozco is the third person to be sentenced in this case.

Last year, the smuggling ring's leader, Felipe Orduna Torres, was sentenced to life in prison, and an accomplice, Armando Gonzalez Ortega, was given 83 years, the US Attorney's Office announced.

"Rigoberto Miranda Orozco, the defendant sentenced today, was a key component in this alien smuggling organization that caused the deaths of these 53 individuals," US Attorney for the Western District of Texas Justin Simmons told reporters.

Miranda was extradited from Guatemala to face trial in the United States.

In June 2022, at least 64 migrants, including eight children and a pregnant woman -- mostly hailing from Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras -- were smuggled in an unventilated tractor-trailer across the border from Mexico into Texas.

According to the US authorities, the smugglers charged $12,000 to $15,000 per person.

The truck's air conditioning malfunctioned, and the temperature inside soared as it drove north to San Antonio, Texas.

By the end of the trip, 48 of the migrants, including a pregnant woman, were dead. Sixteen were taken to hospitals, and five of them died. Only 11 survived.

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