Laredo man pleads guilty to child abuse and drug trafficking

A 30-year-old Laredo man, Luis Andres Serna, has entered a guilty plea to production of child pornography, following an investigation that linked him to the sexual exploitation of a 16-year-old pregnant minor, among other crimes. This revelation was part of a statement by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas.

According to details released by law enforcement, on April 5, after transporting an undocumented non-citizen to Laredo, Serna had the pregnant minor in his vehicle, who would later become the central figure in the exploitation case. That same day, authorities discovered 37 undocumented individuals and approximately 1,032 kilograms of marijuana in apartments associated with Serna and other suspects. These findings led to Serna’s arrest on charges of drug trafficking and conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented individuals.

While Serna was in custody on the aforementioned charges, he used a tablet video system to contact the same minor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office statement said. Law enforcement examined hundreds of phone calls and tablet video visits and discovered a consistent pattern of communication between Serna and the minor victim.

On June 24, 2022, the minor was forced to record and perform sexual acts while Serna watched from the other side of the screen. “Protecting our children from sexual predators is one of the most sacred responsibilities of my office,” Hamdani said. “Serna is a particularly reprehensible predator — a human trafficker and drug trafficker who exploited a pregnant child for his own sexual gratification and added the label of ‘child pornographer’ to his resume of crimes. This prosecution and conviction will help ensure that Serna can no longer victimize the citizens of Laredo, especially its children.” Serna also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana and conspiracy to transport people, according to the press release.

U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña will soon determine Serna’s sentence, and he faces up to 30 years in prison for the sexual exploitation conviction. Additional charges involving human smuggling and drug trafficking carry stiff penalties, including a possible life sentence. A joint investigation involving Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, Border Patrol and other agencies led to Serna’s conviction under Project Safe Childhood.