LAREDO, Texas — A South Texas woman pleaded guilty to smuggling a child into the United States for financial gain following an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and its law enforcement partners.
Vanessa Valadez, 23, entered a guilty plea Sept. 20. According to court documents, from August to September 2023, Valadez and other family members operated a child smuggling ring working to bring young noncitizen children from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, into the United States. All the children were under the age of five. On the night of Sept. 19, 2023, members of the smuggling ring retrieved a young girl from a stash house that the organization members operated. The co-conspirators smuggled the girl across the border and delivered her to Valadez in downtown Laredo. Co-conspirators then took the child farther into the United States and delivered her to unknown people.
On Sept. 21, 2023, members of the smuggling ring attempted to transport another young girl. However, law enforcement intercepted them following a routine border inspection at the Juarez Lincoln Bridge in Laredo. To carry out their scheme, co-conspirators sedated the girl with melatonin gummies and used an unlawfully obtained birth certificate to deceive authorities into believing she was a family member.
The smuggling ring had attempted to similarly transport at least four girls into the United States — three of whom remain unidentified, and their whereabouts are unknown. Members of the smuggling ring obtained birth certificates of U.S. citizen children to pose as a family unit at ports of entry to the United States. At times, members of the smuggling ring used melatonin gummies to sedate at least one child to ensure a successful smuggling attempt.
The investigation revealed one of the co-conspirators sent a text message and an image depicting an unconscious child with the caption, “La noquiamos con unas gomitas,” translated in English as “we knocked her out with some gummies.”
Co-conspirators Ana Laura Bryand, 47, of Dallas; her niece Kayla Marie Bryand, 20, of Laredo; Jose Eduardo Bryand, 43, of Laredo; Nancy Guadalupe Bryand, 44, of Laredo; and Lizeth Esmeralda Bryand Arredondo, 32, of Mexico, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose a sentence Jan. 8, 2025. At that time, Valadez faces up to 10 years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Terence A. Check Jr. is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens.
HSI San Antonio continues to address the serious public safety threat posed by human smuggling organizations and their reckless disregard for the health and safety of the people they exploit. To report suspicious smuggling activity, call 866-348-2423.