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Federal prosecutors announced a guilty plea Monday for a woman who smuggled illegal immigrant children into the U.S. without their parents, and in at least one case used melatonin “gummies” to knock the kid out to sneak her in.
Vanessa Valadez admitted she and other family members ran a broader smuggling ring that brought 3-year-old and 4-year-old migrant kids into the U.S without their parents.
They used authentic U.S. birth certificates, claiming they belonged to the migrants, and would use gummies to knock them out so they would be asleep when they came through the border crossings.
In her plea agreement, Valadez said they worked for a coordinator who tried to smuggle about seven kids a week.
“This smuggling case ranks among the most chilling we’ve ever seen,” said Alamdar Hamdani, the U.S. attorney in southern Texas. “Let this prosecution serve as a stark warning to all those parents who might consider entrusting a precious child to the care of a criminal organization bent on making money by smuggling vulnerable children — your child could be sedated or drugged … or worse.”
The Washington Times reported earlier this year on the growing use of gummies in child smuggling, which has been a particular problem at the border in California.
Five other people involved in the operation, have also pleaded guilty.
They admitted to smuggling four children themselves. Authorities said they don’t know where the other three ended up.
In a text message recovered by investigators, one admitted to the use of gummies. She sent a picture with the caption: “La noquiamos con unas gomitas,” which authorities translated into English as “we knocked her out with some gummies.”
Unaccompanied children are the toughest border cases. If children from countries other than Mexico or Canada are caught by U.S. authorities, Homeland Security quickly turns them over to the Health and Human Services Department — which then releases them to family or sponsors — essentially completing the smuggling journey for traffickers.
But children from Mexico enjoy no such advantage — they’re promptly sent home, so smugglers do try to sneak by the American authorities.
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