7 illegal aliens and 7 others charged after horrific deaths of 7 migrants, including a child

Fourteen people have been charged with numerous crimes related to an apparent smuggling scheme that resulted in the deaths of seven migrants, including a 14-year-old child.

The alleged smugglers loaded up seven migrants into a Conex shipping container on a stationary train in the Del Rio, Texas, area on or about May 9, according to a Monday press release from the Department of Justice, citing court documents.

'These defendants showed no regard for the value of human life and put people in harm’s way to pad their own pockets.'

The smugglers allegedly used red bolt cutters to cut the lock on the shipping container and then closed the door after leaving the migrants inside, the press release said.

The shipping container had no ventilation or cooling system, and the migrants were inside when outside temperatures reportedly reached 88 to 92 degrees Fahrenheit. "It was secured from the outside and could not be opened from the inside," the press release said.

When the container arrived in San Antonio, the smugglers allegedly discovered the migrants in distress and fled the scene, the press release continued. They even allegedly left the body of a deceased migrant near the railroad tracks.

On May 10, a worker at the rail yard in Laredo saw a human leg sticking out of a container, and a subsequent search of the container found the remains of six deceased migrants. San Antonio law enforcement then found the body of the seventh migrant victim that had been left on the tracks.

Four of the deceased migrants were from Mexico, while three were from Honduras.

Twelve of the defendants were charged with conspiracy to transport aliens resulting in death. They may face life in prison if convicted.

The 14 defendants face numerous other serious charges related to their alleged part in the smuggling scheme. Some of the charges carry a sentence of decades in prison.

Seven of the 14 defendants are illegal aliens, four are U.S. citizens, and three are non-citizens, said the Justice Dept.

The smugglers were paid between $1,500 and $10,000 for each smuggled migrant to be brought into the U.S., court documents said.

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"By allegedly orchestrating this deadly human smuggling scheme, these defendants showed no regard for the value of human life and put people in harm’s way to pad their own pockets," read a statement from Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva.

"Seven people are dead as the result of another callous alien smuggling scheme," read a statement from U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons. "To those alien smuggling organizations like the one responsible for these seven deaths, your date with American justice will come, and when it does, we will hold you accountable to the fullest extent of the law."

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