San Diego CBP agents accused of profiting from Mexican cartel

( NewsNation ) — Two federal officials are accused of working for a Mexican drug trafficking organization, which allowed them to live lavish lifestyles, according to prosecutors .

Jesse Clark Garcia and Diego Bonillo, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents from the San Diego Sector, were arrested in May. Previously unreported details of the case were unsealed in a search warrant affidavit Tuesday in San Diego federal Court, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported .

Prosecutors allege the two allowed vehicles loaded with hard drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine to pass unchecked through their inspection lanes at the Otay Mesa and Tecate Ports of Entry. Otay Mesa is about 20 miles south of San Diego.

Prosecutors say the defendants “profited handsomely,” using the tens of thousands of dollars they received to buy luxury brand items, build a large home on a Mexican ranch and take multiple European vacations, the news outlet reported.

Documents show Garcia and Bonillo allegedly allowed more than 1,150 pounds of drugs into the U.S. on five occasions between April 2021 and February of this year.

Garcia has worked with immigration and customs enforcement since 1999, according to his LinkedIn page .

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announces arrests or indictments in some cases for law enforcement officers accused or convicted of wrongdoing, but it did not announce the arrests or indictments of Garcia and Bonillo.

A former CBP colleague, Leonard Darnell George, went on trial in a similar drug-related case one month after Garcia and Bonillo were arrested, but the cases are not believed to be related. George was convicted in June of accepting bribes to allow smugglers to bring in drugs at the San Ysidro Port of Entry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office .

“Corruption undermines the integrity of our border security and poses a grave threat to public safety,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath told the Union-Tribune in a statement Wednesday. “Allegations that border officials are complicit in fentanyl trafficking are especially troubling. This office will bring those who put our community at risk to justice.”

Garcia and Bonillo have pleaded not guilty to the charges. They remain in custody as a judge deemed them a flight risk and have a court hearing scheduled in late October. If convicted, they face a minimum of 10 years in prison.

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