Former CBP Officer Charged With Bribery, Human Smuggling And Drug Trafficking In Texas

A former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer has been slapped with several charges, including bribery, human smuggling and drug-trafficking.

Concretely, Manuel Perez of El Paso admitted taking part in several conspiracies that spanned several years. The main ones involved human smuggling and the trafficking of "large quantities of cocaine."

Border Report detailed that Perez entered a guilty plea in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Court documents show the then-agent began his involvement in the conspiracies in November 2019 and continued until February this year.

Throughout the years, he used his post to allow the entry of vehicles driven by undocumented migrants who often were part of smuggling operations.

Perez was charged with "conspiracy to bring aliens into the United States for financial gain," "bringing aliens into the U.S. for financial gain," and "conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute." He faces up to 45 years in prison.

Other such cases have taken place earlier this year. In late July, two CBP officers leaded guilty to allowing drugs into the country through the Tecate and Otay Mesa crossings at the southern border, potentially facing life in prison.

Federal prosecutors detailed that the two had a "secret emoji-based code" to let traffickers know which inspection lanes they were manning, waving them through when they arrived.

The officers in question are Jesse Clark Garcia and Diego Bonillo. They pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to import controlled substances including cocaine, methamphetamine and heroine.

In April, two officers were charged with accepting bribes to allow undocumented migrants to enter the United States without inspection at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, one of the nation's busiest border crossings.

Farlis Almonte and Ricardo Rodriguez, both assigned to immigration inspection booths, were arrested following an investigation into their involvement with human traffickers. The charges came after investigators uncovered phone evidence showing the officers exchanged messages with smugglers in Mexico, and discovered unusual deposits into their bank accounts.

According to federal prosecutors, the officers were paid thousands of dollars to wave through dozens of vehicles carrying undocumented migrants, as The Associated Press reports. Surveillance footage revealed at least one instance where a vehicle stopped at a checkpoint had only the driver documented as entering the country, while a passenger went unreported.