Former San Diego border officer sentenced to 9 years for Sinaloa Cartel drug smuggling scheme

Another officer was sentenced last year to15 years for helping Sinaloa Cartel-linked smugglers bring fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine across the U.S.-Mexico border in exchange for thousands of dollars.SAN DIEGO (CN) — A former Customs & Border Protection officer in San Diego was sentenced in federal court on Friday for allowing drug smugglers from the Sinaloa Cartel through the U.S.-Mexico border.U.S. District Judge Ruth Montenegro, a Joe Biden appointee, sentenced 38-year-old Jesse Garcia to nine years in prison for importing controlled substances and conspiracy to import controlled substances.“Officer Garcia betrayed his oath, his fellow officers, and his country,” said Adam Gordon, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California in a DOJ press release. “Officer Garcia’s conduct warranted this significant sentence.”Garcia pleaded guilty in July 2025.The sentencing follows a long-term multiagency investigation that uncovered a corruption scheme between Garcia and another former Customs & Border Protection officer, Diego Bonillo, who also pleaded guilty last year.The two officers admitted that they provided an organization connected to the Sinaloa Cartel with their duty schedules and lane assignments so that the drugs could pass through, beginning at least in 2021. The scheme continued until 2024, prosecutors say.The two officers relied on a secret emoji-based code in text messages to communicate their work shift and lane assignments with the drug smugglers, the DOJ said in the release. The drug smugglers would then send cocaine, meth and fentanyl through the northbound border lanes they worked at.Authorities say that Garcia admitted to bringing in at least 100 kilos of fentanyl, 107 kilos of meth and 270 kilos of cocaine.Garcia worked at the Tecate port of entry, a smaller border crossing about an hour east of San Diego, while Bonillo worked at the Otay Mesa port of entry, a short drive south of San Diego.Garcia exploited the Customs & Border Protection’s flexible duty-switching policies to place himself in inspection lanes where he was not scheduled to work, the DOJ said. He would also falsely claim that technical issues prevented certain checks, thus allowing the drugs into the country, the department said.In exchange, Garcia received $10,000 for each drug-laden vehicle he let through the border. As a result, Garcia funded a lavish lifestyle, including a high-end vehicle, a horse-racing business and a ranch in Mexico, the DOJ said.“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,” special agent in charge Mark Remily of the FBI San Diego Field Office said in the DOJ release. “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.”Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari added that his office will continue to root out corruption.“DHS employees who abuse their positions and betray the public’s trust will be held accountable for their actions,” he said.Bonillo was sentenced to 15 years in prison last year.An attorney for Garcia declined to comment.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads