EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — A couple from Juarez was arraigned after they were extradited to the U.S. from Mexico, as they are suspected of being part of a human smuggling operation that used candy laced with drugs to sedate them.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Susana Guadian, 51, and Daniel Guadian, 51, were arraigned in the Western District of Texas a year after a federal grand jury returned an indictment on Sept. 24, 2025.
The two are being charged with conspiracy to transport migrants and bringing migrants illegally into the country for financial gain.
According to court documents, between on or about May 1 and Oct. 17, 2024, Susana and Daniel Guadian were part of a human smuggling operation that brought unaccompanied children between the ages of 5 and 13 illegally into the United States from Juarez.
The complaint alleges that Susana and Daniel recruited drivers to drive the children from Juarez to El Paso, posing as the kids’ parents and showing to Customs and Border Protection agents false documents.
During at least one smuggling event, the children were given gummy candies containing marijuana to sedate them so they wouldn’t have to answer questions. However, one of the children had to be taken to an El Paso hospital where he was diagnosed with marijuana poisoning.
A photo of THC gummies recovered by agents during secondary inspection at the port of entry. Credit: DOJ
According to the DOJ, drivers involved with this operation would get $900 for each minor.
Susana and Daniel allegedly worked with Manuel Valenzuela and Dianne Guadian in this child smuggling scheme.
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Valenzuela was sentenced on July 1 to five years in prison for his involvement, while Dianne pleaded guilty on July 28.
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“These defendants are charged with smuggling multiple children across the southern border. The allegations include that they risked the safety of children by giving them THC-laced gummies to sedate them while smuggling them from Mexico into the United States to avoid the children answering questions from border law enforcement,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Protecting kids from smugglers, who will stop at nothing to exploit them, will always be one of the Department’s highest priorities.”
“Having Susana and Daniel Guadian in custody on this side of the border one year after they were indicted is a major development in a case that highlights the dangerous tactics that human smugglers employ when smuggling children,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Like their co-defendants before them, these two will be aggressively prosecuted in federal court and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
“There is nothing more reprehensible than exploiting vulnerable children for profit. Smuggling children across our border is not a victimless crime,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. “Giving children cannabis-infused candy to sedate them is an especially disturbing abuse of their trust and safety. HSI will continue to hold accountable those who facilitate these dangerous schemes that treat children as commodities for financial gain and puts them in harm’s way.”
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