Couple Extradited from Mexico for Allegedly Drugging and Smuggling Unaccompanied Alien Children US During Biden Administration 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that during Operation Take Back America, two Mexican nationals were arraigned in the Western District of Texas after being extradited from Mexico for allegedly drugging and smuggling minors into the United States under the Biden Administration.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Sept. 24, 2025, charging Susana Guadian, 51, and Daniel Gaudian, 51, both of Juarez, Mexico, with conspiracy to transport aliens and bringing aliens illegally to the United States for financial gain.

The two allegedly gave children THC-Laced gummies to sedate them for travel and prevent them from being able to speak with border patrol.

According to court documents, between approximately May 1 and Oct. 17, 2024, Susana and Daniel Guadian are alleged to have taken part in an alien smuggling organization that brought unaccompanied alien children between the ages of 5 and 13 illegally into the United States from Juarez, Mexico.

The complaint alleges that the two were recruited as drivers to transport the children by car from Mexico to a port of entry at the U.S. border. The complaint further alleges the drivers and their coconspirators would subsequently present U.S. documents to inspecting officers, falsely claiming the documents belonged to the children and that they were the children’s parents.

During at least one smuggling event, the children were given gummy candies containing marijuana to sedate them with one child taken to the hospital due to marijuana poisoning.

The complaint further states that, once inside the United States, the children were then transported to El Paso, where others would pick up the children and provide payment to the drivers.

According to court documents, the drivers were paid $900 for each minor that they brought into the United States.

Co-defendant Manuel Valenzuela was sentenced on July 1 to five years in prison for his role in the child smuggling scheme. Dianne Guadian, another co-defendant, pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme on July 28.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division shared, “These defendants are charged with smuggling multiple children across the southern border.”

“The allegations include that they risked the safety of children by giving them THC-laced gummies to sedate them while smuggling them from Mexico into the United States to avoid the children answering questions from border law enforcement.”

“Protecting kids from smugglers, who will stop at nothing to exploit them, will always be one of the Department’s highest priorities.”

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas continued, “Having Susana and Daniel Guadian in custody on this side of the border one year after they were indicted is a major development in a case that highlights the dangerous tactics that human smugglers employ when smuggling children.”

“Like their co-defendants before them, these two will be aggressively prosecuted in federal court and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan G. McRae of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Paso added, “There is nothing more reprehensible than exploiting vulnerable children for profit. Smuggling children across our border is not a victimless crime.”

“Giving children cannabis-infused candy to sedate them is an especially disturbing abuse of their trust and safety. HSI will continue to hold accountable those who facilitate these dangerous schemes that treat children as commodities for financial gain and puts them in harm’s way.”

Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and TCOs, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.