EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to smuggle undocumented migrants and drugs for money in El Paso, according to the U.S. District Court Western District of Texas.
Our Border Report team previously reported last year that the then 32-year-old Manuel Perez Jr. was arrested for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, conspiracy to bring undocumented migrants to the U.S. for financial gain and bribery of a public official.
CBP officer let drugs, migrants come across border for money, feds say
According to court documents, the indictment stated that Perez Jr. admitted to multiple instances of a vehicle being driven by an undocumented noncitizen at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry as part of human smuggling operations.
Additionally, from on or about Nov. 1, 2019, through Feb. 5, 2025, Perez Jr. allegedly conspired to possess a substance containing at least 5 kilograms of cocaine to be distributed throughout Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina and elsewhere…