U.S. border officers admit to scheme to allow vehicles hauling drugs to pass through certain inspection lanes

Two U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers pleaded guilty to scheming to allow “drug laden vehicles to enter the United States free from inspection.”

On July 8, 2025, CBP officer Jesse Clark Garcia, 37, of California, pleaded guilty to nine counts, including Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances and Importation of Cocaine, Methamphetamine, and Fentanyl.

On July 28, 2025, CBP officer Diego Bonillo, 30, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to three counts, including Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances, and Importation of Fentanyl and Heroin.

Officials say that Garcia and Bonillo schemed with members of a Mexican-based poly drug trafficking organization (DTO) to allow vehicles hauling drugs to pass through certain lanes without being inspected.

“As part of the scheme, Garcia, working at the Tecate, California Port of Entry, and Bonillo, working at the Otay Mesa, California Port of Entry, would let members of the DTO know what time and lane they were assigned by utilizing a secret emoji-based code. The DTO would then send the drug-laden cars through Garcia and Bonillo’s lanes knowing that Garcia, nor Bonillo, would inspect these vehicles,” said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

Bonillo admitted to allowing at least 75 kilograms of fentanyl, 4.5 kilogram of methamphetamine, and over 1 kilogram of heroin, into the United States as part of the scheme.

“The United States has alleged that both defendants profited handsomely, funding both domestic and international trips as well as purchases of luxury items and attempts to purchase real estate in Mexico,” officials said.

Garcia is scheduled for sentencing on September 26, 2025. Bonillo’s sentencing is scheduled for November 7, 2025.

The charges of Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances and Importation of Controlled Substances both carry a maximum sentence of life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum.

Agencies assisting in the investigation include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.