Federal prosecutors in Texas have charged two Mexican citizens with running a smuggling operation that transported unaccompanied migrant children from Ciudad Juárez, in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, into the United States. According to the indictment filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, some of the children were allegedly given gummy candies laced with THC—the psychoactive compound in marijuana—to keep them calm and sedated during the dangerous border crossings.
The accused, identified as Susana Guadian and Daniel Guadian, are both 51 years old and residents of Ciudad Juárez, a border city across from El Paso, Texas. U.S. authorities allege they conspired to smuggle migrants and profited from illegally bringing people into the country, charges that carry serious federal penalties.
Court documents allege the operation ran from May to October 2024, moving children as young as 5 and as old as 13 across the border without their parents or legal guardians present. Prosecutors say the pair recruited drivers to carry out the crossings, part of a broader scheme that allegedly used fraudulent documents to help minors pass through official checkpoints undetected.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about the exploitation of unaccompanied children along the U.S.-Mexico border. You can read the original Spanish-language report from Excélsior for additional details on the investigation.
Source: <![CDATA[Mexicanos operaban red que trasladaba niños a EU; usaban documentos falsos y gomitas con drogas]]> (RSS::excelsior.com.mx – Portada).
Image: InterAmericanDialogue, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).