SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA — A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was sentenced to nine years in federal prison August 7 for spending years waving drug-laden vehicles through his inspection lane at the Tecate Port of Entry on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel, collecting at least $10,000 per vehicle and admitting to letting through more than 100 kilograms of fentanyl, 107 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 270 kilograms of cocaine.
Jesse Clark Garcia, 38, of San Diego, pleaded guilty in July 2025 to nine felony counts including conspiracy to import controlled substances and multiple counts of importation and aiding and abetting. His co-defendant, former CBP Officer Diego Bonillo, was sentenced to 15 years in November 2025.
How It Worked
Garcia admitted that since at least 2021 he provided traffickers linked to the Sinaloa Cartel with his duty schedules and lane assignments at the Tecate Port of Entry. The cartel then routed drug-laden vehicles through his lanes where he waved them through without inspection. To communicate discreetly, both officers used a secret emoji-based code in text messages to share shift and lane assignments with traffickers.
Garcia also exploited CBP’s flexible duty-switching policies to place himself in inspection lanes where he was not scheduled to work, and at other times falsely claimed technical issues prevented required checks, allowing narcotics through despite mandatory system alerts.
How He Spent the Money
Evidence showed Garcia’s illicit proceeds funded a lifestyle well beyond his government salary — luxury purchases, a high-end vehicle, a San Diego residence, co-ownership of an equine racing business, and construction of a ranch in Mexico.
The Escape Attempt
As the investigation closed in, Garcia stopped reporting for duty, ignored inquiries from CBP supervisors, and was observed driving into Mexico in a fully packed vehicle in late March 2024. Mexican authorities, acting on a U.S. request and a federal warrant, arrested him on May 2, 2024, and transferred him to U.S. custody the same evening.
“Officer Garcia betrayed his oath, his fellow officers, and his country,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon.
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