Border agent took bribes to let vehicles smuggle fentanyl and meth into US, feds say
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer took bribes to allow vehicles smuggling drugs into the country, federal prosecutors in California said.
The officer allowed vehicles carrying fentanyl, methamphetamine and other narcotics to pass into the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California said in a July 3 news release.
He faces charges including receiving bribes, conspiracy to import controlled substances, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in a drug crime, prosecutors said.
If convicted, he could face up to life in prison, according to officials
Six others, four unnamed, also are accused of conspiring to import methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and heroin from Mexico to the United States, prosecutors said.
“We do not stand for those that would tarnish our badge,” Sidney Aki, director of field operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in San Diego, said in the release.
Overdoses are a leading cause of injury-related death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2021, there were nearly 51,000 overdose deaths in the country, according to CDC data. In the past 21 years, drug overdoses have killed more than 932,000 people, the CDC reported.
“The majority of overdose deaths involve opioids. Deaths involving synthetic opioids (largely illicitly made fentanyl) and stimulants (such as cocaine and methamphetamine) have increased in recent years,” the CDC said. “For every drug overdose that results in death, there are many more nonfatal overdoses, each one with its own emotional and economic toll.”
Millions of people in the U.S. have an opioid addiction, according to the CDC. Addiction is a “chronic and relapsing disease that can affect anyone.”
This story was originally published July 4, 2023 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Border agent took bribes to let vehicles smuggle fentanyl and meth into US, feds say."