A federal grand jury indicted 11 people for their alleged roles in a smuggling operation that used cargo trains to move migrants into the United States, resulting in the deaths of seven migrants found in a sweltering boxcar from Del Rio to San Antonio and Laredo. The defendants are charged with conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and aiding and abetting the transportation of illegal aliens resulting in death, with potential life prison terms if convicted. The group allegedly cut locks on Conex containers, loaded migrants—including a 14-year-old—into the boxes, and abandoned some when the train reached San Antonio and later continued to Laredo; temperatures that day were between 88 and 92 degrees Fahrenheit, and the containers had no ventilation. The indictments indicate a structured smuggling operation operating since at least 2023, with payments reportedly ranging from $1,500 to $10,000 per person, and authorities say several members were in custody while others remain at large. Four defendants are U.S. citizens, five are non-citizens, and two are lawful permanent residents, with ongoing appeals for information on those at large. Investigators and prosecutors have described the operation as deliberate, with federal authorities urging the public to report tips to assist in locating fugitives Garcia and Huerta-Casillas.