(AmericanProsperity.com) – The U.S. border security system faces a scandal as a Customs and Border Protection officer, Manuel Perez Jr., is charged with smuggling operations linked to the notorious Juárez drug cartel.
See the tweet below!
This case highlights the ever-growing concerns about corruption within our border agencies.
Manuel Perez Jr., a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent, has been accused of smuggling activities involving both drugs and illegal migrants, with reported connections to the La Línea cartel.
Perez was apprehended by the FBI’s El Paso West Texas Border Corruption Task Force, facing multiple charges of drug and human smuggling.
Communications intercepted during the investigation indicate that smugglers boasted having him “in their pocket,” assuring a “100 percent guaranteed” crossing.
Perez allegedly received $2,500 for each migrant he facilitated through his inspection lane, potentially amassing an illicit fortune of up to $400,000.
Moreover, the operation reportedly spanned multiple states, with Perez coordinating the transportation of cocaine from El Paso to other parts of the country.
This unsettling case reveals deep-seated ethical issues within our border protection framework.
“Multiple witnesses said he belonged to La Linea cartel in Mexico,” said a CBP agent with the Office of Professional Responsibility.
Perez’s defense claims co-conspirators might be falsely implicating him to gain leniency from federal investigators.
Attorney Ruben Ortiz argues, “The cooperating witnesses are telling them (federal investigators) whatever they want to hear for now.”
Meanwhile, authorities discovered $18,000 in cash at his rented Juárez home, and Perez remains in custody as legal proceedings unfold.
Perez, who spent most of his non-working hours in Mexico, allegedly manipulated the CBP’s TECS system to aid smuggling.
His case mirrors broader concerns about corruption, with over 200 CBP agents currently under investigation for similar misconduct.
Such revelations spark pressing questions about the integrity of our border enforcement agencies.
Perez’s arraignment is set for February 13 in El Paso Magistrate Courtroom Room 712.
If convicted, he could face numerous sentences: up to five years for the human smuggling conspiracy, three to ten years per additional human smuggling charge, and possibly life for drug trafficking.
The Department of Justice underscored the seriousness of these offenses, emphasizing they were executed for “commercial advantage and private financial gain.”
As this troubling saga continues, it raises uncomfortable questions about whom we can trust to protect our borders.
Manuel Perez Jr, 32 year old CBP officer was smuggling non US citizens into our country at the El Paso border. @TomHoman_ will clean this up! pic.twitter.com/CQt07hRriS
— Carol G (@CG6342875542484) February 17, 2025
Copyright 2025, AmericanProsperity.com
