Wednesday, 12 August 2026, 14:44
A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer will spend nine years in federal prison after admitting he helped traffickers move narcotics through the Tecate port of entry. Jesse Clark Garcia pleaded guilty to nine federal charges in a San Diego federal court.
Prosecutors said the operation ran from at least 2021. Garcia provided members of the trafficking organization with his work schedules and lane assignments so vehicles could be directed to his inspection booth. He also repositioned himself during shift changes to work specific lanes and created fake technical problems to avoid mandatory inspection procedures, according to federal prosecutors.
In exchange, Garcia received at least $10,000 for each vehicle he allowed through. He admitted to facilitating the smuggling of at least 100 kilograms of fentanyl, 107 kilograms of methamphetamine and 270 kilograms of cocaine. His guilty plea covered nine federal charges tied to the operation.
Garcia's former partner, Diego Bonillo, had already been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the same scheme.
The case was prosecuted in San Diego, and the smuggling took place at the Tecate crossing, which is east of San Diego and smaller than the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports. Still, the port handles significant daily traffic from cross-border workers, tourists and commercial vehicles.
In a separate incident, CBP officers at the San Ysidro port of entry recently found 56.7 pounds of cocaine hidden in the roof of a pickup truck, according to a CBP Field Operations post. That seizure shows the ongoing pressure at San Diego County's border crossings.
The sentence is part of a broader effort by federal prosecutors to target corruption at the border. The scheme reportedly ran from at least 2021, and the involvement of an active officer raised concerns about insider access to inspection procedures.
The Tecate port of entry is a key crossing for regional commerce. Cases like Garcia's highlight how an officer trusted to protect the border can instead use that trust to facilitate trafficking.
Garcia will now serve nine years in federal prison. The case demonstrates how a single officer with inside knowledge can compromise border security, and it reinforces the need for continued oversight of customs and border personnel.
