Arrested El Paso CBP Officer Was Allegedly a La Linea Cartel Member
Excerpt:
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer allegedly involved in migrant smuggling on the El Paso border was allegedly a member of a Mexican drug cartel, a federal agent testified.
A federal magistrate judge ordered CBP Officer Manuel Perez Jr., 32, of El Paso, to remain jailed without bond at a detention hearing Thursday, Feb. 13, in federal court in Downtown El Paso. Perez is allegedly a member of the La Linea drug cartel.
Perez was fired from CBP after his arrest on federal human and drug smuggling charges on Feb. 8 by the FBI El Paso West Texas Border Corruption Task Force following a multi-agency investigation, court officials said. If convicted, he could face 10 years up to life in prison.
“Multiple witnesses said he belonged to La Linea cartel in Mexico,” a special agent with the CBP Office of Professional Responsibility testified at the hearing.
Perez allegedly told investigators that he was being paid $2,500 for each undocumented person he allowed to pass at his inspection lane at the Paso Del Norte international bridge in Downtown El Paso, the special agent testified.
The exact number of smuggled persons Perez waved through his border inspection point was unclear.
The prosecution said that Perez may have been paid as much as $400,000 in a border migrant smuggling scheme dating to December 2023. A cocaine distribution conspiracy case dates from Feb. 5 going back to November 2019, according to the indictment.
Smugglers in intercepted phone calls spoke of “100% guaranteed” crossings because they had “the officer in their pocket,” the agent testified. The names of others involved in smuggling have not been disclosed.
Steve Deace interviews Data Republican
https://x.com/USWins1776/status/1890425206964940934
Get out their dancing shoes for the Tyburn Jig.