Mexican Man Charged for Smuggling 13 Migrants Who Died in Deadly Crash Near Border

A Mexican man was arrested for allegedly smuggling into the United States 13 migrants who unfortunately died in a car crash near the southern border early this month.

The acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California charged Jose Cruz Noguez, 47, of Mexicali, Mexico, with federal crimes on Tuesday, Court House News reported.

Cruz, a U.S. resident, is facing human smuggling conspiracy charges after being accused by an alleged associate of orchestrating the chain of events that led to the migrants' deaths on Mar. 2, including the cutting of the border fence and the packing of a Ford Expedition with 25 people to the hiring of two drivers.

The 13 migrants were among the 44 people who sneaked into the U.S. through a 10-foot hole in southern California's border fence.

A surveillance video showed two vehicles leaving the place of the fence hole past 6 a.m. on Mar. 2. One vehicle was a Chevrolet Suburban, carrying 19 people. For unknown reasons, it caught fire upon entering the U.S.

All passengers of the said vehicle escaped and were taken into custody by Border Patrol agents. The vehicle traveled 30 miles between Interstate 8 and State Route 115 before it caught fire.

The other vehicle, a 1997 Ford Expedition, was carrying 25 people. The SUV continued to travel after entering the border, but a semi-truck slammed into it at the intersection of SR 115 and Norrish Road.

Authorities reported that 12 people died on the scene, and another victim died at a local hospital. A Mexican government official earlier said at least 10 of the 13 killed in the crash had been identified as Mexican citizens.

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The Mexican Man and His Associate

Cruz's alleged associate paved the way for the suspect's first appearance in a federal court on Tuesday. The Mexican man's associate was also arrested for a different smuggling incident.

The associate disclosed that Cruz offered him $1,000 per passenger to drive the modified SUV two weeks before the car crash. However, he declined the offer, according to an AFP report.

Moreover, Cruz's associate noted that the suspect supervised the illegal transportation of individuals to stash houses in the U.S., collected smuggling payments from family members or sponsors, scouting for the presence of law enforcement, and recruiting drivers.

Authorities have secretly recorded a phone call between Cruz and his associate. The suspect confirmed in the phone call his involvement in the Mar. 2 smuggling incident. Cruz was arrested while entering the U.S. on Monday.

The Mexican Man and The Victims

In total, 25 passengers are inside the modified Ford Expedition at the time of the crash, CBS 8 reported. The subsequent inspection also revealed that all the vehicle's seats were removed, except the front passenger seat and the driver seat.

The prosecutors noted that this was done to accommodate the extra number of people inside the vehicle.

"These smuggling networks seek maximum profit by moving as many people as possible across the border," said acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman.

Grossman added that the smugglers do not take into account the safety and well-being of the passengers.

The Mexican man is set to attend a preliminary hearing on Apr. 13 in federal court in El Centro, California, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ruth Bermudez Montenegro. He is also scheduled to attend his arraignment on Apr. 27.

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WATCH: How Did the Ford Expedition That Crashed Fit 25 People? - From CBS 8 San Diego