Former border officer admits to bribery, illegally allowing entry into the US

On Monday, March 11, the former border officer pleaded guilty to taking bribes for entering the United States without a control check. Moreover, he consciously let to smuggle cocaine into the country.

The ex-US Customs and Border Patrol agent who pleaded guilty to the aforementioned federal crimes is 36-year-old Emanuel Isac Celedon. He was working at the Juarez-Lincoln Port of Entry in Laredo, Texas.

"As part of the smuggling conspiracy, Celedon provided his daily lane assignment to conspirators to allow entry without inspection or documentation of passengers. This occurred on at least nine occasions between September and November 2023. Authorities also discovered that during at least two of these smuggling events, Celedon falsely input information into a CBP database in order to avoid sending the driver to mandatory secondary inspection." wrote the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas in its statement.

The Attorney's Office also added that during the arrest of Celedon, there was $1,980 found with him, which happened to be his benefit from bribes for human smuggling. According to law enforcement information, Celedon was letting people into the US without control at least nine times from September to November. Moreover, he received $6,000 for not checking a vehicle crossing the US-Mexican border with a relevant amount of cocaine.

The former officer will face numerous long sentences, which U.S. District Judges Diana Saldana and Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose. "At those times, Celedon faces up to 10 years on two counts and 15 years on the other two counts in the smuggling case, as well as another 15 years for the bribery and 40 years for the drug charges. He also faces hundreds of thousands in possible fines," the Attorney's Office added.

Sources: NBC News, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas