A former Customs and Border Protection officer was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to working with Mexican traffickers to bring drugs into the U.S. Diego Bonello in July pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy.
los angeles — A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to working with Mexican traffickers to bring drugs into the United States, officials announced Thursday.
Diego Bonello, 30 years old He pleaded guilty in July On multiple charges, including conspiracy to import controlled substances such as cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin.
As part of the plea deal, he admitted to using his position to allow drug-filled cars into the United States from Mexico without inspection. The US Attorney’s Office in San Diego said in a press release on Thursday that it allowed at least 75 kilograms of fentanyl, 11.7 kilograms of methamphetamine and more than one kilogram of heroin into the country.
Bonello was using a secret phone to alert the drug trafficking group of the lanes he would oversee at the Tecate and Otay Mesa border crossings so he could ensure they entered without inspection, prosecutors said in sentencing documents.
Agents determined Bonello was part of the scheme no later than October 2023 and continued through April 2024, allowing at least 15 vehicles to enter without inspection, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Bonello used his payments to travel internationally, buy luxury gifts, attempt to buy property in Mexico, and spend time at the Hong Kong Gentlemen’s Club in Tijuana, Mexico.
He was sentenced on November 7 to 15 years in federal prison.