Manuel Valenzuela Gets 5 Years for Smuggling Children With THC-Laced Candy
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 2
Manuel Valenzuela Gets 5 Years for Smuggling Children With THC-Laced Candy
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 2
Summary
Five years in federal prison was imposed on Manuel Valenzuela, 35, after he admitted joining a scheme that sedated children as young as 5 with THC-laced candy before taking them across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Prosecutors said one child suffered THC poisoning and was hospitalized, underscoring the risks in an operation that moved unaccompanied children ages 5 to 13 from Juárez into the United States.
Court documents say smugglers used U.S. identification papers, falsely claimed the children were their own, and then transported them to El Paso after crossing the border.
Four people were charged in the case last year, tied to smuggling events between May 1 and Oct. 18, 2024; investigators also recovered proof-of-life photos from suspects' phones.
Justice Department and HSI officials said the case highlights increasingly cruel tactics in child smuggling and vowed continued pursuit of transnational networks exploiting minors.