A Mexican national was sentenced to five years in federal prison after admitting to participating in a human smuggling operation that used THC-laced candy to sedate children before bringing them across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Federal prosecutors said one child suffered THC poisoning and was hospitalized after being given the drug-laced candy during one of the smuggling operations. The child was among a group of unaccompanied minors, ranging in age from 5 to 13, who were transported from Juárez, Mexico, into the United States.
The smugglers used fake U.S. identification documents to claim the children were their own parents, deceiving border officers and immigration officials. The children were then transported to El Paso after crossing the border.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva condemned the scheme, stating that sedating children with THC "shows just how heinous crimes like this are." Duva emphasized that smuggling unaccompanied children into the country and lying to U.S. immigration officials demonstrates the lengths to which criminals will go to smuggle children across borders.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan McRae of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso described the use of THC-infused candy as "reprehensible and cruel." McRae vowed that HSI will relentlessly pursue transnational criminal organizations responsible for these heinous tactics and bring them to justice.
The smuggling events took place between May 1 and October 18, 2024. Prosecutors said proof-of-life photographs of some of the children were recovered from the suspects' cellphones.
