Former CBP agent sentenced to 15 years for facilitating fentanyl entry at the southern border

A former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer was sentenced to 15 years in prison after admitting that he allowed vehicles loaded with narcotics to pass through a port of entry on the southern border. The conviction, announced on Thursday by the Department of Justice, marks one of the most serious cases of internal corruption linked to drug trafficking in that region.

Diego Bonillo, 31, admitted to collaborating with smugglers while serving as a federal official. According to the indictment, he used his position to let shipments into the country that included at least 165 pounds of fentanyl, as well as significant amounts of methamphetamine and heroin. These crimes led him to face charges of conspiracy to import controlled substances and importation of controlled substances, both of which carry a mandatory minimum sentence of a decade in prison.

How the corruption scheme operated

The investigation revealed that Bonillo kept a second phone that his supervisors were unaware of. Through that device, he coordinated with the smugglers and informed them when routes under his control were assigned. Once the vehicles reached his inspection lane, he would let them proceed without checking their contents.

Between October 2023 and April 2024, he allowed at least 15 vehicles to cross without being inspected, according to the Department of Justice. This pattern facilitated the entry of highly dangerous drugs into the United States at a time when fentanyl continues to be responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths each year.