Two U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have pleaded guilty to charges related to their involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy that allowed narcotics to enter the United States without inspection.
Jesse Clark Garcia, stationed at the Tecate, California Port of Entry, and Diego Bonillo, assigned to the Otay Mesa, California Port of Entry, admitted in court that they conspired with members of a Mexican-based poly drug trafficking organization. The officers used a secret emoji-based code to inform traffickers of their work schedules and assigned lanes. This allowed vehicles carrying illegal drugs to pass through border checkpoints without being inspected.
According to prosecutors, Garcia entered his guilty plea on July 8, 2025, admitting guilt on nine counts including Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances and Importation of Cocaine, Methamphetamine, and Fentanyl. Bonillo pleaded guilty on July 28, 2025—just before his scheduled jury trial—to three counts including Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances and Importation of Fentanyl and Heroin.
Bonillo acknowledged in his plea that he facilitated the entry of at least 75 kilograms of fentanyl, 4.5 kilograms of methamphetamine, and over one kilogram of heroin into the United States as part of the scheme. Authorities allege both men benefited financially from their activities by funding trips within the U.S. and abroad, buying luxury goods, and attempting to purchase real estate in Mexico.
The sentencings for Garcia and Bonillo are set for September 26, 2025, and November 7, 2025, respectively. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Van Demark, Bianca Calderon-Peñaloza, and Shauna Prewitt are prosecuting the case.
“Garcia pleaded guilty on July 8, 2025, to nine counts of the indictment, including Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances and Importation of Cocaine, Methamphetamine, and Fentanyl. Bonillo pleaded guilty on July 28, 2025, just before his jury trial was set to begin. He pleaded guilty to three counts of the indictment,” according to information provided by authorities.
Federal agencies involved in investigating this case include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG), CBP Office of Professional Responsibility (CBP OPR), U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
If convicted on all charges listed under Title 21 United States Code Sections 952-963 for conspiracy or importation offenses involving controlled substances such as cocaine or fentanyl—the defendants face up to life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years.
The defendants are identified as Jesse Clark Garcia (age 37) from San Diego and Diego Bonillo (age 30) from Chula Vista.
