(NewsNation) — Federal investigators have arrested and charged four individuals for allegedly smuggling children from Mexico into the United States.
The four defendants were charged with conspiracy to transport aliens and bringing aliens to the U.S. for financial gain, according to the Department of Justice. The investigation was part of Operations Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at ending illegal immigration and eliminating cartels and other criminal groups.
The criminal complaint alleges that between May and mid-October 2024, the defendants were part of an alien smuggling organization that brought unaccompanied children ages 5 to 13 years old across the border through a legal port of entry. This was allegedly accomplished using a network of recruited drivers, who presented U.S. documents and claimed to be the children’s parents. According to the Department of Justice, the drivers were paid $900 for each child they smuggled into the country.
Text messages from the investigation reveal how one defendant and a co-conspirator would discuss the children like products. During at least one smuggling event, the Department of Justice alleges the defendants gave children gummy candies containing marijuana to sedate them. This resulted in one child being taken to a hospital in El Paso and diagnosed with marijuana poisoning.
“When you see any child come across the border or we come in contact with a child, we do want to make sure and verify that they are not abused, that they are not being sedated by any type of drugs,” Lt. Chris Olivarez with the Texas Department of Public Safety said.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, authorities are also seeing an uptick in cartels using teenagers to help smuggle migrants. Earlier this month, Texas DPS troopers pursued and arrested two human smugglers and six migrants after a high-speed chase that ended in a crash in Laredo, Texas. Officials familiar with the case report that the driver was a 14-year-old boy.
“What we’re seeing is now is more juveniles, 14, 15-year-olds from Mexico, that are crossing the border, that are bringing people across the border illegally and then smuggling them into vehicles,” Olivarez said.