A U.S. Border Patrol agent who allegedly agreed to take $25,000 in bribes from an undercover agent faces corruption and drug charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Thursday.
Hector Hernandez, 55, of Chula Vista, is accused of agreeing to let an undocumented migrant cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally and deliver methamphetamine in exchange for the cash, prosecutors say.
The agent was arrested Wednesday after the U.S. Attorney’s Office said he delivered a duffel bag containing what he believed was methamphetamine to an undercover federal agent.
According to a criminal complaint, it was discovered that Hernandez “was engaged in border corruption activities.” That led to him being introduced to an undercover Department of Homeland Security agent.
The complaint does not state what that other alleged conduct may have been.
Hernandez allegedly agreed to open a gate along the border fence in order to let in a migrant. A probable cause statement from DHS Special Agent Prescilla Gonzales states that Hernandez requested that the undercover agent send three migrants instead of one in order to increase his payout of $5,000.
After opening the fence on Monday evening, Hernandez was paid by the undercover agent, who then told the suspect he was working with people in Mexico who wanted to import drugs, according to the complaint.
A duffel bag was then placed inside a storm drain near the border fence for Hernandez to retrieve, according to the complaint, which states the bag was filled with one pound of actual meth, 10 pounds of “sham” drugs and a tracking device. Hernandez allegedly picked up the bag Tuesday night, took it to his home and went back to work.
After his shift was over, he allegedly retrieved the bag and met with the undercover agent somewhere in Chula Vista the next morning. He expected to get $20,000 for delivering the drugs, the complaint states.
– City News Service
