Laredo Woman Pleads Guilty to Drugging and Smuggling Toddler as Part of Border Criminal Ring

A 23-year-old woman from Laredo has pleaded guilty to being involved in a child smuggling ring that transported young children across the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced.

Vanessa Valadez admitted to conspiring with family members to smuggle children, all under the age of five, from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, into the United States between August and September 2023. The smuggling ring used falsified documents and sedatives to facilitate the illicit transportation of the children for financial gain.

On Sept. 19, 2023, members of the smuggling ring retrieved a young girl from a stash house operated by the organization and smuggled her across the border to Valadez in downtown Laredo. The girl was then transported further into the U.S. and delivered to unknown individuals.

Two days later, on Sept. 21, law enforcement intercepted another attempted smuggling at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge during a routine border inspection. Smugglers had sedated a toddler with melatonin gummies and used a fraudulently obtained birth certificate to pass her off as a family member. This interception led to the discovery that the smuggling ring had tried to transport at least four girls, three of whom remain unidentified and their whereabouts unknown.

According to investigators, a co-conspirator sent a text message with an image of an unconscious child and the caption, "La noqueamos con unas gomitas," which translates to "We knocked her out with some gummies."

"This smuggling case ranks among the most chilling we've ever seen—systematically transporting young children to unknown destinations," Hamdani said. "Let this serve as a stark warning to parents who might consider entrusting their children to criminal organizations. Your child could be sedated or drugged... or worse."

Several co-conspirators, including Ana Laura Bryand, 47, and Kayla Marie Bryand, 20, both of Laredo; Jose Eduardo Bryand, 43, and Nancy Guadalupe Bryand, 44, also of Laredo; and Lizeth Esmeralda Bryand Arredondo, 32, of Mexico, have already also pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy.

Valadez will be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo on Jan. 8, 2025. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.