Former CBP officer sentenced for allowing vehicles hauling cartel drugs through his inspection lane at Port of Entry

A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer was sentenced to years in prison for his role in a “significant corruption scheme” involving cartel drug trafficking.

On August 7, 2026, former CBP officer Jesse Clark Garcia, 38, of San Diego, California, was sentenced in federal court to nine years in prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.

“Officer Garcia betrayed his oath, his fellow officers, and his country. Officer Garcia’s conduct warranted this significant sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.

In July 2025, Garcia pleaded guilty to nine felony counts, including conspiracy to import controlled substances and multiple counts of importation and aiding and abetting.

Garcia said that he allowed at least 100 kilograms of fentanyl, 107 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 270 kilograms of cocaine to enter the U.S. as part of his plea.

Garcia admitted that since 2021, he provided drug traffickers linked to the Sinaloa Cartel with his duty schedules and lane assignments so that vehicles hauling cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl could go through his inspection lanes at the Tecate Port of Entry without being checked.

Officials said that Garcia used a “secret emoji-based code in text messages” to communicate with drug traffickers, and that he earned “at least $10,000 for each drug-filled vehicle he allowed to pass through the port.”

Garcia reportedly used the money on luxury purchases, a high-end vehicle, a San Diego residence, co-ownership of an equine racing business, and construction of a ranch in Mexico.

As the investigation progressed, Garcia attempted to flee into Mexico but was arrested by Mexican authorities and returned to the U.S. on May 2, 2024.

Co-defendant Diego Bonillo, also a former CBP officer, also pleaded guilty in July 2025 and was sentenced to 15 years.

“Jesse Clark Garcia showed total disregard for the oath he took as a CBP Officer to protect our communities when he knowingly and repeatedly allowed cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into our country,” said Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI San Diego Field Office. “FBI San Diego and our partners work tirelessly to ensure those individuals dishonoring the badge are held accountable. The corrupt few do not represent the whole of the federal law enforcement workforce. Today’s sentence demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to rooting out those unworthy individuals and paving the way for justice to be served.”