Don't know why they need to buy BP agents, when the illegals are caught they are released INSIDE the US anyway
Border agents arrested on smuggling charges Angelica Martinez
UNION-TRIBUNE BREAKING NEWS TEAM
March 9, 2006
www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060309-1237-bn09border.htmlSAN DIEGO – Two supervising U.S. Border Patrol agents were arrested Thursday on suspicion of smuggling undocumented immigrants in exchange for bribes from a smuggling ring, federal officials said.
Related data:
Mario Alvarez, 44, and Samuel McClaren, 43, both of Imperial, were indicted Tuesday on eight counts that include conspiracy to bring in aliens for financial gain, conspiracy to commit bribery and filing false tax returns, the U.S. Attorney's office announced.
The indictment said the agents received bribes of approximately $300,000 from members of the Javier Sanchez-Perfino Alien smuggling organization.
They also released, or facilitated the release of, illegal immigrants and smugglers, who were also undocumented, officials said. The immigrants were then turned over to the smuggling organization in exchange for money.
In one instance, authorities say, Alvarez and McClaren drove a member of the smuggling organization in a U.S. government vehicle from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service Processing Center in El Centro to a Wal-Mart parking lot in Calexico. The ring member was then let go in exchange for $6,000, officials said.
“There can be no pursuit of justice where our law enforcement agents are corrupt,” United States Attorney Carol C. Lam said in a written statement. “If the defendants have chosen this path, they will face the consequences.”
The men were arrested by agents of the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the Inspector General and agents of the Internal Revenue Service.
Authorities said they don't know when the suspected conspiracy began, but noted in the indictment that the crimes occurred up until Tuesday.
The two men were assigned to the Mexican Liason Unit in El Centro and worked in the Guide Identification Prosecution Program. The program stems from an agreement between the United States and Mexico under which suspected smugglers are deported to Mexico and are prosecuted by Mexican authorities if they are not prosecuted in the United States.