]]>
Federal prosecutors have accused two officers from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations of collaborating with an unnamed drug cartel for several years.
According to court documents, the officers allegedly permitted the criminal organization to transport substantial quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamines, cocaine, and heroin through their inspection lanes.
Jesse Clark Garcia and Diego Bonillo, both CBP officers, have been indicted in the U.S. Southern District of California on charges of drug trafficking and drug trafficking conspiracy.
]]>
They have been held in custody since May.
The case was initially reported by Alex Riggins of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
The two officers are alleged to have worked with smugglers in Mexico to ensure that specific vehicles carrying drugs would pass through their inspection lane without interference.
Prosecutors claim that they did so in exchange for substantial bribes amounting to tens of thousands of dollars.
Details revealed in Riggins’s report suggest that the CBP officers spent lavishly on luxury fashion items, European vacations, and high-priced boxing seats in Las Vegas.
According to the criminal indictment, in April 2021, a woman drove a Kia Soul to Garcia’s lane at the Tecate port of entry.
Despite having several cars in front of her, she was directed by CBP officers to an open lane where authorities discovered 140 pounds of cocaine and fentanyl as well as 25 pounds of methamphetamine in her possession.
Subsequent investigation revealed that the woman frequently used Garcia’s Lane, and would only avoid crossing when he was not on duty.
The court documents also indicate multiple instances where both Garcia and Bonillo allegedly collaborated with smugglers to allow them to pass through their inspection lanes.
The indictment of Jesse Clark Garcia and Diego Bonillo sheds light on a disturbing breach of trust.
The alleged actions not only enabled the transport of dangerous drugs but also raises serious questions about corruption within law enforcement.
Source
