EL PASO, TX - Four people, including two Mexican nationals and two U.S. citizens, have been charged for their alleged roles in a scheme to smuggle children from Mexico to the United States.
In one instance, the alleged suspects used candy laced with drugs to sedate the children, according to a press release by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Mexican nationals Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian, both 50; U.S. citizen Dianee Guadian, 32; and permanent resident Manuel Valenzuela, 35, have been charged in a criminal complaint with "conspiracy to transport aliens and bring them to the U.S. for financial gain."
Dianne Guadian and Manuel Valenzuela were arrested on August 30 in El Paso, and they had their initial court appearance on Tuesday, September 2, according a Department of Justice (DOJ) news release.
"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," said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
"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 October 17, 2024, the four suspects were a part of a smuggling organization that brought unaccompanied children between the ages of five and 13 illegally from the U.S. from Juarez, according to Border Report.
Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian allegedly 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, marijuana gummies were given to children 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.
The DOJ alleges that 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," said ICE HSI El Paso Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens. "These predators see desperation as an opportunity. To these criminals, vulnerable children are 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," he added.
This case was part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the DOJ to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of crime, as noted by the DOJ press release.
In one instance, the alleged suspects used candy laced with drugs to sedate the children, according to a press release by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Mexican nationals Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian, both 50; U.S. citizen Dianee Guadian, 32; and permanent resident Manuel Valenzuela, 35, have been charged in a criminal complaint with "conspiracy to transport aliens and bring them to the U.S. for financial gain."
Dianne Guadian and Manuel Valenzuela were arrested on August 30 in El Paso, and they had their initial court appearance on Tuesday, September 2, according a Department of Justice (DOJ) news release.
"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," said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
"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 October 17, 2024, the four suspects were a part of a smuggling organization that brought unaccompanied children between the ages of five and 13 illegally from the U.S. from Juarez, according to Border Report.
Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian allegedly 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, marijuana gummies were given to children 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.
The DOJ alleges that 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," said ICE HSI El Paso Special Agent in Charge Jason T. Stevens. "These predators see desperation as an opportunity. To these criminals, vulnerable children are 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," he added.
This case was part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the DOJ to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of crime, as noted by the DOJ press release.
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Comments
2025-09-17T17:05-0400 | Comment by: William F
Drugging children??? Calls for immediate EXECUTION.
2025-09-17T18:11-0400 | Comment by: Paul
Glad these people were caught. I don't care what they say, there is no such thing as marijuana poisoning. There has never even been a proven case of ODing on pot. It when they mix other drugs with smoking pot.