Texas CBP officer arrested for human smuggling was allegedly part of a Mexican drug cartel
A US Customs and Border Protection officer accused of smuggling migrants across the El Paso border was allegedly moonlighting as a member of a Mexican drug cartel, according to a federal agent’s testimony.
CBP Officer Manuel Perez Jr., a 32-year-old US citizen originally from California, is allegedly a member of the La Linea, more commonly known as the Juárez drug cartel, investigators said during his arraignment hearing last Thursday.
“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, as reported by the El Paso Times.
Perez was fired on Feb. 8 after he was arrested by the FBI El Paso West Texas Border Corruption Task Force on federal and human drug smuggling charges.
Perez could face up to 10 years to life in prison if convicted. He has no past criminal history or reported issues with substances. A federal magistrate judge ordered him to remain in jail without bond following the Feb. 13 detention hearing.
Perez allegedly told investigators that he was paid $2,500 for each undocumented migrant he permitted to pass through his inspection lane on the international bridge at the El Paso border, the special agent testified. He specifically permitted one gray Nissan Pathfinder to cross the border smuggling migrants including children several times, according to the indictment.
It is unclear how many people Perez helped smuggle across the border before he was caught.
In total, the prosecution surmised that Perez could’ve padded his wallet with up to $400,000 in the scheme dating back to December 2023.
He was also allegedly involved in a cocaine distribution conspiracy from November 2019 up until the beginning of this month, according to the indictment. In one instance, he’s accused of helping move eight kilos of cocaine from El Paso to Louisiana and North Carolina in October 2023.
Other smugglers heard during intercepted phone calls alluded to “100% guarantee” crossings thanks to “the officer in their pocket,” the agent testified.
Ruben Ortiz, Perez’s attorney, noted that the smugglers heard over the phone could be lying about Perez’s involvement.
“The cooperating witnesses are telling them (federal investigators) whatever they want to hear for now,” Ortiz said, adding that informers are “pointing fingers, perhaps to gain favor from the government in their own cases.”
But the agent testified that Perez was always armed, even when he was sleeping and said witnesses claimed he hard an armed security detail with him whenever he was in Mexico — accusations supported by photo evidence, he added.
Another witness told investigators that Perez had said he would prefer to be arrested in Mexico if it ever came down to it so that he could continue his criminal activity in jail, the special agent reiterated.
CBP investigators analyzed a database of recorded border crossings to figure out that Perez had spent more than 80% of his time in Mexico when he wasn’t working the border, the special agent said. Ortiz claimed Perez was there so often because his old girlfriend lived there.
In a sweep at Perez’s home in Juárez, however, Mexican agents reported finding $18,000 cash, the special agent said.
“By all measures, he lives in Mexico,” the agent said of Perez.
It is unclear where the rest of Perez’s supposed smuggling profits may be.
The judge determined that there was “no question” that Perez was a flight risk because of how much time he spent in Mexico coupled with his alleged involvement in the cartel.
