EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Four people were charged for their roles in a scheme to smuggle children from Mexico into the U.S., and in one instance, used candy laced with drugs to sedate them, according to the news release by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Mexican nationals Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian, both 50; U.S. citizen Dianne Guadian, 32; and permanent resident Manuel Valenzuela, 35, were charged by a criminal complaint with conspiracy to transport migrants and bring them to the U.S. for financial gain.
On Aug. 30, Dianna Guadian and Manuel Valenzuela were arrested in El Paso, and they had their initial appearance in court on Tuesday, Sept. 2, according to the DOJ.
“This Department of Justice is investigating and prosecuting human smuggling more aggressively than ever before, and Joint Task Force Alpha is the tip of the spear,” U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi said. “We will not rest until those who profit from the suffering of vulnerable people — including many unaccompanied children — face severe, comprehensive justice.”
According to the complaint, between May 1 through Oct. 17, 2024, the four suspects were a part of a smuggling organization that brought unaccompanied children between the ages of 5 and 13 illegally to the U.S. from Juarez.
You can read the full complaint:
Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian recruited drivers to transport the children by car from Mexico to a port of entry at the U.S. border. The drivers and another conspirator would then present false U.S. documents to the inspecting officers and claim they were the parents of the children.
In at least one smuggling operation, gummy candies were given to children that contained marijuana to sedate them, according to the DOJ.
One of the children who consumed the candy was taken to a local hospital and was later diagnosed with marijuana poisoning.
According to the DOJ, once the drivers had crossed over into the U.S., the children were then transported to Dianne Guadian and Manuel Valenzuela. The drivers were paid $900 for each child they brought into the U.S.
“These defendants allegedly risked the lives of children by using drug-laced candy to keep them quiet while being smuggled into the United States,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said. “Targeting children in this way is especially dangerous and cruel. The Criminal Division is dedicated to safeguarding vulnerable populations and dismantling the for-profit smuggling networks that exploit them.”
“Every child placed in a smuggler’s hands is a life placed in danger,” Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso said. “These predators see desperation as an opportunity. To these criminals, vulnerable children as nothing more than currency, a means to turn human lives into profit. The smuggling of children is one of the most callous and reprehensible crimes HSI investigates, and we won’t stop pursuing those who profit by endangering young lives.”
HSI El Paso and the U.S. Border Patrol led the investigation, with assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., and Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force.
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