EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 A Mexican man was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison after he was convicted of drugging children and smuggling them into El Paso from Ciudad Juarez.<\/p>\n
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 35-year-old Manuel Valenzuela was sentenced for drugging kids ages five to 13 with marijuana candy to calm them as he and others would smuggle them into the country through El Paso, presenting U.S. documents to Customs and Border Protection officers, pretending to be the children’s parents. <\/p>\n
The DOJ said that during one of these smuggling events, one of the kids had to be taken to a local hospital after suffering poisoning from the drug-laced candy.<\/p>\n
The sentencing comes eight months after Valenzuela pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to transport migrants, three counts of bringing migrants without authorization for financial gain, and one count of aiding and abetting on Nov. 10, 2025.<\/p>\n
RECOMMENDED: Las Cruces arrest targets alleged plot to smuggle 35 migrants from El Paso to other cities <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cNeeding to sedate children with THC under the guise of giving them candy, shows just how heinous crimes like this are,\u201d said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department\u2019s Criminal Division. \u201cSmuggling 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. The Criminal Division and our law enforcement partners will put an end to this conduct. Protecting children and keeping our borders safe go hand-in-hand.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. \u201cCriminal 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDrug traffickers who exploit children as part of their criminal schemes show total disregard for human life and safety,\u201d said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso. \u201cUsing THC-infused candy to facilitate the smuggling of children across the border into the United States 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.\u201d<\/p>\n