SAN DIEGO – Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Jesse Clark Garcia was sentenced in federal court today to nine years in prison for allowing drug-laden vehicles to pass through his inspection lane at the Tecate Port of Entry on behalf of the Sinaloa Cartel. The sentencing follows a long‑term, multi‑agency investigation that uncovered a significant corruption scheme involving Garcia and his co-defendant, then-Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer Diego Bonillo. Both officers pleaded guilty in July 2025, with Garcia admitting that since at least 2021, he provided the Sinaloa Cartel-linked drug trafficking organization with his duty schedules and lane assignments so vehicles carrying cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl could pass through his lanes unchecked. Bonillo was sentenced to 15 years in prison in November 2025.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice