Mexican national sentenced after sedating children during smuggling operation
Pirro announces major drug bust near D.C. school
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced a major drug bust that uncovered cocaine sales near a school in Washington, D.C. Pirro presents compelling visual evidence, including a drug deal that took place feet away from a five-year-old child. He emphasizes the determination of law enforcement to prioritize the safety of children and society and promises severe punishment to those involved.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A Mexican national was sentenced to five years in federal prison Wednesday after admitting his participation in a human smuggling operation that prosecutors said used THC-laced candy to sedate children as young as 5 before taking them across the U.S.-Mexico border.
A child suffered THC poisoning and was hospitalized after being given candy containing the drug during one of the smuggling operations, federal prosecutors said.
Manuel Valenzuela, 35, pleaded guilty last November to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens, three counts of bringing aliens into the United States for financial gain and one count of aiding and abetting.
WATCH: TRUMP DHS INCREASES PRESSURE ON IMMIGRANT CHILDREN WARNINGS HEARD BIDEN: ‘GO TO HEAVEN AND HELL’
Manuel Valenzuela was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to participating in a child trafficking operation, federal prosecutors said. (John Moore/Getty Images; Department of Justice)
Valenzuela was one of four people indicted for alleged smuggling last year. Prosecutors accused the group of transporting unaccompanied children ages 5 to 13 from Juárez, Mexico, to the United States.
The smugglers presented the children’s U.S. identification documents to border agents, claiming they were their parents, according to court documents.
After crossing the border, the children were transported to El Paso, prosecutors said.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NAMES ROSARIO ‘PETE’ VASQUEZ AS THE NEXT US BORDER DISTRICT CHIEF
Manuel Valenzuela was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to participating in a human trafficking operation that prosecutors said used THC-laced candy to sedate children. (Ministry of Justice)
“The need to sedate children with THC under the guise of giving them candy shows how heinous crimes like this are,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. He condemned this plan by saying.
“Smuggling unaccompanied children into the country, pretending to be their parents, and then lying to U.S. immigration officials shows the lengths such criminals will go to smuggle children across our borders,” Duva continued. “The Department of Corrections and our law enforcement partners will put an end to this behavior. Protecting children and keeping our borders secure go hand in hand.”
Ryan McRae, Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso, said the use of children in smuggling operations is “a complete disregard for human life and safety.”
THERE ARE ONLY 7 CHILD ABUSE ANALYSTS AT DHS, HAWLEY MEASURE WILL FUND 200 INVESTIGATORS
Federal prosecutors allege smugglers used the THC-laced candies to sedate children as young as 5 before smuggling them across the U.S.-Mexico border. (Ministry of Justice)
“Using THC-laced candy to facilitate the smuggling of children across the border into the United States is reprehensible and cruel and puts vulnerable minors at serious risk,” McRae said. “HSI will relentlessly pursue the transnational criminal organizations responsible for these heinous tactics and bring them to justice.”
According to the criminal complaint, the smuggling incidents took place between May 1 and October 18, 2024.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Prosecutors said that photos proving the lives of some children were found on the suspects’ mobile phones.
Fox News’ Brooke Taylor contributed to this report.
