A former CBP officer who took a $15,000 bribe to coordinate the shipment of drugs through the Pharr port of entry in 2020 was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez handed the sentence to Oziel Cantu, 48, from Mission, after he entered into a plea agreement with the government in March.
The investigation began in June 2020 when the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Office of Professional Responsibility received information about an officer facilitating the transportation of drugs from Mexico into the U.S., according to a criminal complaint.
Two months after the tip, in August 2020, Cantu unwittingly contacted an undercover agent, who was part of a sting operation, to meet up in the following days and coordinate the transportation of drugs through the Pharr port of entry where Cantu worked. After coming up with the plan to allow a vehicle carrying 40 pounds of cocaine through the bridge, Cantu gave the undercover agent driving the vehicle with the drugs specific instructions the day of the smuggling.
In the early morning, Cantu told the driver which lane to use and to cross as soon as the bridge opened. The sham drugs passed through the bridge, and, later that day, Cantu collected the $17,000, according to the indictment. He was arrested shortly after.
Although Cantu was out on bond under home detention in August 2020, he was indicted and eventually entered into a plea agreement with the government and pleaded guilty to the charge.
As a result of his cooperation, the federal government recommended a reduction in his sentencing.
Judge Alvarez sentenced Cantu to 120 months in prison with three months of supervised release.
“In handing down the sentence, Judge Alvarez noted this type of case bothers her every single time and it is very difficult to understand the situation in which Cantu put himself,” said a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas.
Alvarez “informed him that everyone in the courtroom has been in a difficult financial situation before and yet none of them resorted to crime,” the release said. “Judge Alvarez stated that she would not let law enforcement corruption slide.”
Cantu will be surrendering himself at a later designated time.
Cantu’s attorney, Ricardo Salinas, did not return a request for comment.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to correct the federal judge’s title.
