A federal agent in a border region long known as a major corridor for Mexican cartels smuggling narcotics and Islamic terrorists into the United States has been arrested and charged with alien smuggling and drug trafficking. The case involves a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer in El Paso, Texas, where Judicial Watch years ago uncovered an unprecedented partnership between Mexican drug cartels and jihadists as part of a decade-long investigation into crime, terrorism and corruption in the southern border. Back in 2017 Judicial Watch also produced an investigative documentary detailing an elaborate narco-terrorist cell operating out of El Paso, which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirms is a primary hub for Mexican opioids and methamphetamine enroute to every corner of the U.S.
Corruption within the law enforcement ranks has also been a problem in the region at both local and federal levels, Judicial Watch investigations show, with a number of federal agents caught taking bribes over the years. Back in 2014 Judicial Watch reported on the criminal indictment of Jesus Campa, the chief deputy of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office (EPCSO), a Texas agency responsible for patrolling more than 1,000 square miles with a population of about 870,000. After nearly two decades with the agency, he left abruptly amid allegations of embezzling $5.6 million in Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) funds. His boss, Sheriff Richard Wiles, was embroiled in several scandals. Besides looking the other way as one of his trusted deputy chiefs embezzled millions of dollars, Wiles attended a fundraising event at the home of a convicted felon with connections to the illegal drug trade while serving his third term as sheriff.
The recent CBP case involves an agent, Manuel Perez, who federal authorities say has helped smuggle illegal immigrants and cocaine for six years on the El Paso border. In multiple instances the disgraced 32-year-old agent admitted vehicles driven by illegal immigrants at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry in El Paso as part of human smuggling operations, according to a statement issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ). Additionally, Perez conspired to possess cocaine from 2019 to February 2025 as part of an operation to distribute the drug throughout Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina and elsewhere in the country. The officer is 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. He faces decades to life in prison, according to federal prosecutors.
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CBP Agent Charged with Smuggling, Trafficking in City JW Exposed as Major Cartel Corridor Years Ago
