A US Customs and Border Safety officer accused of smuggling migrants throughout the El Paso border was allegedly moonlighting as a member of a Mexican drug cartel, in response to a federal agent’s testimony.
CBP Officer Manuel Perez Jr., a 32-year-old US citizen initially from California, is allegedly a member of the La Linea, extra generally generally known as the Juárez drug cartel, investigators mentioned throughout his arraignment listening to final Thursday.
“Multiple witnesses said he belonged to La Linea cartel in Mexico,” a particular agent with the CBP Workplace of Skilled Accountability testified on the listening to, as reported by the El Paso Occasions.
Perez was fired on Feb. 8 after he was arrested by the FBI El Paso West Texas Border Corruption Job Power on federal and human drug smuggling expenses.
Perez might withstand 10 years to life in jail if convicted. He has no previous felony historical past or reported points with substances. A federal Justice of the Peace decide ordered him to stay in jail with out bond following the Feb. 13 detention listening to.
Perez allegedly informed investigators that he was paid $2,500 for every undocumented migrant he permitted to move by means of his inspection lane on the worldwide bridge on the El Paso border, the particular agent testified. He particularly permitted one grey Nissan Pathfinder to cross the border smuggling migrants together with kids a number of occasions, in response to the indictment.
It’s unclear how many individuals Perez helped smuggle throughout the border earlier than he was caught.
In whole, the prosecution surmised that Perez might’ve padded his pockets with as much as $400,000 within the scheme relationship again to December 2023.
He was additionally allegedly concerned in a cocaine distribution conspiracy from November 2019 up till the start of this month, in response to the indictment. In a single occasion, he’s accused of serving to transfer eight kilos of cocaine from El Paso to Louisiana and North Carolina in October 2023.
Different smugglers heard throughout intercepted telephone calls alluded to “100% guarantee” crossings because of “the officer in their pocket,” the agent testified.
Ruben Ortiz, Perez’s legal professional, famous that the smugglers heard over the telephone could possibly be mendacity about Perez’s involvement.
“The cooperating witnesses are telling them (federal investigators) whatever they want to hear for now,” Ortiz mentioned, including that informers are “pointing fingers, perhaps to gain favor from the government in their own cases.”
However the agent testified that Perez was at all times armed, even when he was sleeping and mentioned witnesses claimed he laborious an armed safety element with him every time he was in Mexico — accusations supported by photograph proof, he added.
One other witness informed investigators that Perez had mentioned he would favor to be arrested in Mexico if it ever got here right down to it in order that he might proceed his felony exercise in jail, the particular agent reiterated.
CBP investigators analyzed a database of recorded border crossings to determine that Perez had spent greater than 80% of his time in Mexico when he wasn’t working the border, the particular agent mentioned. Ortiz claimed Perez was there so actually because his outdated girlfriend lived there.
In a sweep at Perez’s house in Juárez, nonetheless, Mexican brokers reported discovering $18,000 money, the particular agent mentioned.
“By all measures, he lives in Mexico,” the agent mentioned of Perez.
It’s unclear the place the remainder of Perez’s supposed smuggling income could also be.
The decide decided that there was “no question” that Perez was a flight danger due to how a lot time he spent in Mexico coupled together with his alleged involvement within the cartel.
