Woman pleads guilty to smuggling scheme involving THC-laced candy to sedate children
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A 33-year-old woman from El Paso pleaded guilty to smuggling unaccompanied children in the U.S. Tuesday.
Dianne Guadian and three other members of an accused human smuggling organization brought accompanied children between the ages of 5-13 into the U.S. illegally from Juarez.
The other three members allegedly included her parents -- Susana and Daniel Guadian from Mexico -- and Manuel Valenzuela, an El Paso resident.
Valenzuela pleaded guilty in federal court in November 2025 for the smuggling scheme, which involved giving children THC-laced candy.
(Courtesy: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs)
Federal prosecutors said the scheme lasted from March 2023 to October 2024.
Tuesday, prosecutors said in August 2024, border officials at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry questioned a co-conspirator during an attempted smuggling attempt.
The co-conspirator said they had done so three times before and received $700 for each child they smuggled. Guadian confirmed this.
Prosecutors said in October 2024, two-co-conspirators tried to smuggle four minors across the same bridge. They reportedly provided Texas IDs. During interrogation, the co-conspirators tried to prove the children were theirs using photos that didn't match the children seen in their van that day.
They told investigators they received $600 to smuggle the minors to Guadian in the U.S. and would receive $900 for each child in the end. Guadian also confirmed this.
Two of those minors went to the hospital and tested positive for consuming marijuana, prosecutors said. They were taken in the form of gummies.
Court documents state that the group would use drug-laced candy to sedate the children, then present false documents to immigration officials at the border crossing, ABC-7 previously reported.
Now, nearly two years since the original investigation began by the Department of Homeland Security, and nearly nine months the charges were initially made, Guadian pleaded guilty to all four counts against her.
By pleading guilty, her sentence at a minimum would be at least 16 years in prison with the potential of maximum of 50 years, including maximum fees for charges totaling $1 million.
Her sentencing date will be provided at a later time.
