Six killed while being transported by smuggling ring

EDNA, Texas — Federal immigration officials say six people who were killed after the SUV they were in crashed following a police chase were being transported by a smuggling organization.

Leticia Zamarripa, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, says the driver, a U.S. citizen, and two others in the vehicle are believed to be members of the smuggling ring.

Officials say the vehicle was packed with the three smuggling ring members and 13 people who were in the country illegally.

City police Chief Clinton Wooldridge says officers tried to stop the SUV for a traffic violation in Edna, 90 miles southwest of Houston, early Thursday, but the vehicle sped away. The SUV flipped several times during the chase.

Wooldridge says the individuals in the SUV were from Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico.

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