Pirro announces major drug bust near DC school
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has revealed a major crackdown on cocaine trafficking in Washington D.C., with the transactions occurring alarmingly close to a school. Pirro shared powerful video evidence showing a drug deal happening just feet from a young child. She has vowed to impose heavy penalties on those responsible, underscoring law enforcement’s dedication to safeguarding children and the broader community.
In another significant legal development, a Mexican national received a five-year federal prison sentence on Wednesday. The individual admitted involvement in a human smuggling scheme that reportedly used THC-infused candy to tranquilize young children, as young as 5, during their journey across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Federal prosecutors revealed that one child endured THC poisoning and required hospitalization after ingesting the drug-laden candy in the course of the smuggling operation.
The man, identified as 35-year-old Manuel Valenzuela, entered a guilty plea last November. His charges included one count of conspiracy to transport aliens, three counts of illegally bringing aliens into the United States for financial profit, and one count of aiding and abetting.
After his guilty plea in a child smuggling case, Manuel Valenzuela was sentenced to five years in prison, according to federal prosecutors. (John Moore/Getty Images; Department of Justice)
Valenzuela was one of four people charged last year in the alleged smuggling scheme. Prosecutors accused the group of transporting unaccompanied children between the ages of 5 and 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 were their own parents.
Prosecutors said the children were then transported to El Paso after crossing the border.
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.