A 23-year-old woman from Laredo has been sentenced to prison for her involvement in a child smuggling operation, according to U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Vanessa Valadez pleaded guilty on September 20, 2024, admitting to smuggling a child into the United States for financial gain.
U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison sentenced Valadez to 18 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
“Those that choose to engage in the human trafficking business are not good people. They aren’t motivated by altruism or sympathy. They are paid to traffic in human beings, and they treat people they smuggle as nothing more than cargo,” said Ganjei. “The Southern District of Texas will not rest until all such smuggling rings—particularly those that deal in children—are completely eradicated.”
“The sentencing of this individual underscores the serious consequences for those who exploit and endanger vulnerable populations, especially children,” said Craig S. Larrabee, ICE-HSI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge. “Drugging children to facilitate human smuggling is not only criminal it’s inhumane. HSI is committed to identifying and dismantling the criminal networks behind these horrific acts and ensuring those responsible are brought to justice.”
From August to September 2023, Valadez and other family members operated a ring that smuggled young minors from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, into the United States. All the children involved were under five years old.
On September 19, 2023, members of the ring retrieved a young girl from a stash house they operated and delivered her across the border to Valadez in downtown Laredo. Co-conspirators then transported the child further into the United States.
Two days later, law enforcement intercepted another attempt at transporting a young girl during a routine inspection at Juarez Lincoln Bridge in Laredo. The conspirators had sedated her with melatonin gummies and used an unlawfully obtained birth certificate as part of their scheme.
The investigation found that at least four girls were targeted for transport into the United States by this ring; three remain unidentified with unknown whereabouts. The organization used U.S.-citizen children’s birth certificates to pose as families at entry points and sedated at least one child with gummies during an attempt.
One text message revealed showed an image of an unconscious child captioned “La noquiamos con unas gomitas,” meaning “we knocked her out with some gummies.”
Co-conspirators Ana Laura Bryand from Dallas; Kayla Marie Bryand; Jose Eduardo Bryand; Nancy Guadalupe Bryand from Laredo; and Lizeth Esmeralda Bryand Arredondo from Mexico have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced.
ICE-HSI conducted this investigation alongside Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations with assistance from Border Patrol, Laredo Police Department, Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General, and FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens along with former Special Assistant U.S Attorney Terence A Check Jr prosecuted this case.
