Texas Trafficking Case: Victims Banged On Trailer Walls For Help, Driver's Criminal History And More To Know

SAN ANTONIO, TX — Federal officials described the horrifying conditions dozens of immigrants who hoped to be smuggled into the United States endured in the back of a sweltering tractor-trailer, a journey that left at least 10 of them dead and dozens more hospitalized due to the extreme heat in the trailer.

The driver of the truck, James Bradley Jr., 60, of Clearwater, Florida, has been charged, and if convicted he faces life in prison or possibly death. Bradley claims he did not know there were immigrants packed in the back of the trailer and only discovered them when he exited the vehicle to urinate. He told federal authorities he was surprised to be run over by "Spanish" people and knocked to the ground when he opened the doors, a criminal complaint alleges.

He said he noticed "bodies just lying on the floor like meat," the complaint alleges. (For more on this story and other local news, subscribe to the San Antonio Patch.)

As the horrific case unfolds, here's the latest on what you need to know:

Conditions In Truck

The immigrants were reportedly told the refrigeration in the trailer worked, and they were told to not worry, according to the criminal complaint. Immigrants interviewed by federal authorities said the truck was pitch black and it was already hot when they got inside. One of the victims said he estimated there to be about 70 people inside. No food or water was provided.

Within an hour of the journey, people began to pass out, the complaint says. The immigrants banged on the trailer wall and took turns breathing through a single hole meant to provide ventilation. The driver never stopped.

When police finally arrived at the trailer, eight people were already dead. Two would later die at the hospital.

Driver's Criminal History

A report in the San Antonio Express News says Bradley has a criminal record that dates back to 1997. The charges, which are from various states, include menacing others, assault, grand theft, escape and several traffic offenses.

Public records unearthed by the paper show that he most recently lived in Louisville, Kentucky, though federal authorities have identified him as being from Florida.

Where Were Immigrants From?

Mexico's Foreign Ministry released a statement Monday night that said 25 of those inside the truck were from Mexico, The Associated Press reported. At least two of those in the truck were from Guatemala.

Similar Case In 2003

Thoman Homan, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the case demonstrates why human smuggling networks must be pursued. Homan said he worked on a case in 2003 out of Victoria, Texas, where 19 people were killed.

In that case, the driver was found guilty of all charges in the deaths of the 19 undocumented immigrants. According to a New York Times report from the time of his conviction, the immigrants suffocated in the driver's airless trailer. The driver, Tyrone Williams, 35, of Schenectady, New York, was found guilty of all 58 counts leveled against him.

Smuggling Possibly Linked To 'Zetas'

One of the immigrants interviewed by federal authorities said he was told by smugglers that people linked to the Zetas would charge him 11,000 Mexican pesos for protection and an additional 1,500 Mexican pesos (about $84 U.S.) to cross the river into the United States. He said the group of 28 people he was traveling with crossed the river in three trips. They then walked until the next day.

According to the U.S. government, the group is one of the most powerful and violent criminal organizations in Mexico. Los Zetas is responsible for the trafficking of the Gulf Cartel's cocaine and other drugs from Mexico to the United States.

Watch: The Texas Smuggling Case: 5 Things You Need to Know

Image: A bottle of water, flowers, candles, and stuffed animals help form a makeshift memorial in the parking lot of a Walmart store near the site where authorities Sunday discovered a tractor-trailer packed with immigrants outside a Walmart in San Antonio, Monday, July 24, 2017. Several people died and others hospitalized after being crammed into a sweltering tractor-trailer in the midsummer Texas heat, according to authorities in what they described as an immigrant-smuggling attempt gone wrong. Photo by Eric Gay/Associated Press