An illegal alien from Mexico was sentenced to five years in federal prison for participating in an operation to smuggle children, using THC-laced candy to sedate them. The 35-year-old Manuel Valenzuela was sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracies to transport aliens, as well as aiding and abetting, and bringing aliens to the United States for financial gain. Children as young as five years old were taken, and one child even suffered THC poisoning while being smuggled and was hospitalized.
ILLEGAL ALIEN CHILD SMUGGLER SENTENCED
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 7, 2026
Manuel Valenzuela, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced to 5 years in prison for drugging children and smuggling them over the US border.
Valenzuela used candy laced with THC to sedate the children, then gave false documents to… pic.twitter.com/f6jQQu4qlj
According to the Department of Justice, there were four others charged in the alleged smuggling scheme, who were accused of taking minors between the ages of five and 13 across the border from Juarez, Mexico, to the U.S., sometimes luring them with THC-infused candy. When border officers inspected their documents, Valenzuela and the other suspects pretended to be the children's parents. The children were transported to El Paso, Texas, after crossing the border.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division spoke about the horrific nature of the crimes, saying, "Smuggling unaccompanied children into the country, pretending to be their parents, and then lying to U.S. immigration officials shows the lengths to which criminals like this will go to smuggle children across our borders.” She noted that law enforcement and the criminal division would keep children safe and "put an end to this conduct."
U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas echoed that sentiment, saying justice will be served:
We fight every day in the Western District of Texas to ensure that the people and organizations responsible for heinous crimes like this are brought to justice. Criminal organizations like this one would be well advised to think twice before engaging in this type of crime. Our message to them is this: we will find you, we will secure a conviction, and we will ensure you are removed from society for as long as possible.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso said the use of THC to smuggle children is "reprehensible and cruel" and "puts vulnerable minors at serious risk." "HSI will relentlessly pursue transnational criminal organizations responsible for these heinous tactics and bring them to justice,” he said.
The smuggling allegedly occurred between May and October of 2024, right before the end of the Biden presidency.
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