Last defendant in nation's deadliest human smuggling case pleads guilty

April 14, 2008 - 11:10 p.m.
Last defendant in nation's deadliest human smuggling case pleads guilty

HOUSTON (AP) – The last of 14 people indicted for their alleged roles in the nation’s deadliest human smuggling attempt pleaded guilty Monday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Octavio Torres-Ortega, 42, pleaded guilty to conspiring to harbor and transport aliens illegally in the United States resulting in death and serious bodily injury. He was accused of leading one of the subordinate smuggling rings in an aborted attempt that led to the deaths of 19 illegal immigrants packed in a sweltering tractor-trailer five years ago.

More than 70 immigrants were being transported from South Texas to Houston in 2003 when the driver abandoned the trailer at a truck stop near Victoria.

Torres-Ortega, of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, fled to Mexico to avoid prosecution. He was arrested by Mexican authorities in August 2003, three months after the aborted smuggling attempt. But in 2005, charges against him were dropped by a Mexican judge. He was arrested again in 2006 and held until his extradition in October.

Torres-Ortega now faces life in prison and a maximum $250,000 fine. His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 8.

“The horrific events of May 14, 2003, are by no means erased by today’s final conviction,â€