San Diego, California – A second U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer based in San Diego has pleaded guilty to federal drug importation charges, underscoring a growing pattern of corruption within the nation’s border enforcement ranks.
Diego Bonillo, 30, admitted in federal court Monday that he allowed vehicles carrying fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin to pass through inspection lanes at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. His plea—entered just as his trial was about to begin—includes charges of drug importation and conspiracy to import controlled substances. According to the plea agreement, Bonillo worked in coordination with a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization.
Bonillo’s conviction follows that of another San Diego CBP officer, Jesse Clark Garcia, who pleaded guilty weeks earlier to related charges. Federal prosecutors say the two officers used coded messages to communicate with drug traffickers, informing them of their work schedules and lane assignments to facilitate the smuggling of narcotics into the United States…