Pirro announces major drug bust near DC school
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced a major drug bust in Washington, D.C., saying authorities uncovered cocaine sales taking place near a school. During the announcement, Pirro displayed visual evidence that she said showed a drug transaction occurring just steps from a 5-year-old child. She vowed that those responsible would face serious consequences, underscoring law enforcement’s focus on protecting children and neighborhood safety.
In a separate federal case, a Mexican national was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison after admitting his role in a human smuggling operation that prosecutors said used THC-laced candy to sedate children as young as 5 before taking them across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Federal prosecutors said the scheme had dangerous consequences, including one child who suffered THC poisoning and had to be hospitalized after being given the drug-laced candy during a smuggling attempt.
Manuel Valenzuela, 35, pleaded guilty last November to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens, three counts of bringing aliens into the United States for financial gain and one count of aiding and abetting.
Manuel Valenzuela was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to taking part in a child smuggling operation, federal prosecutors said. (John Moore/Getty Images; Department of Justice)
Valenzuela was among four people charged last year in connection with the alleged operation. Prosecutors accused the group of moving unaccompanied children, ages 5 to 13, from Juárez, Mexico, into the United States.
According to court documents, the smugglers presented U.S. identification documents to border officers while falsely claiming the children belonged to them.
After crossing the border, prosecutors said, the children were transported to El Paso.
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Manuel Valenzuela was sentenced to five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to participating in a human smuggling operation that prosecutors said used THC-laced candy to sedate children. (Department of Justice)
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division condemned the scheme, saying, “Needing to sedate children with THC under the guise of giving them candy shows just how heinous crimes like this are.”
“Smuggling 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,” Duva continued. “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.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan McRae of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso said using children in smuggling operations shows a “total disregard for human life and safety.”
Federal prosecutors allege smugglers used THC-laced candy to sedate children as young as 5 before bringing them across the U.S.-Mexico border. (Department of Justice)
“Using 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,” McRae said. “HSI will relentlessly pursue transnational criminal organizations responsible for these heinous tactics and bring them to justice.”
According to the criminal complaint, the smuggling events took place between May 1 and Oct. 18, 2024.
Prosecutors said proof-of-life photographs of some of the children were recovered from the suspects’ cellphones.
