On October 22, 2019, a total of 39 Vietnamese migrants – including men, women and children between the ages of 15 and 44 – were found dead after being sealed in an airtight truck container from lack of oxygen for more than 11 hours.
“They died of lack of oxygen and desperately tried to escape from the container. Some were able to utter their last words to their families on their cell phones when they knew their situation was hopeless,” said Russell Tyner of the CPS Organized Crime Division .
“Nothing can reclaim the lives lost on that day and the loss caused by the unlawful and dangerous actions of these defendants. But we hope that these beliefs provide some measure of comfort to their families, because the perpetrators of these actions are entitled, he added.