A border enforcement agent was arrested in El Paso for participating in human smuggling and drug trafficking schemes for financial gain, per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Manuel Peréz Jr. began February still serving as a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer, unaware that he was under investigation for his illicit activities.
Federal authorities revealed Pérez was involved in the smuggling of undocumented immigrants between December 21, 2023 and February 5, 2025. The border enforcement agent repeatedly allowed a vehicle driven by an undocumented person to cross the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso.
Additionally, Perez allegedly "conspired to possess a substance containing at least 5 kilograms of cocaine between November 1, 2019 to February 5, 2025." According to court documents, he distributed said substance throughout Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina.
The now former CBP officer has been charged with "one count of conspiracy to bring aliens to the United States for financial gain, three counts of bringing aliens to the United States for financial gain, and one count of conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute," per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
If convicted, Perez faces a sentence of up to five years in federal prison for the human smuggling conspiracy charge, three to 10 years in prison for each of the three additional human smuggling charges, and 10 years to life for the drug trafficking charge.
A 2023 corruption case study conducted by CBP examined 173 cases of corruption involving CBP employees between 2004 and 2017, revealing that corruption, while rare (0.025% of the workforce), had significant consequences for national security and public trust.
During this time period, 173 employees were convicted or pleaded guilty to corruption-related crimes. Approximately half of the cases involved smuggling and 58% of the federal employees received cash payments ranging from $90 to $1.5 million.
Texas had the highest number of cases, followed by California and Arizona.
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