A former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official who worked at a Texas port of entry has pleaded guilty to charges of smuggling immigrants into the United States and accepting bribes to allow suspected cocaine into the country. authorities announced on Monday.
Laredo resident Emanuel Isaac Celedon, 36, works at Laredo’s Lincoln Juarez Port of Entry, and prosecutors say he pre-advised smugglers of his assigned lane at least nine times during September. , announced that passengers were allowed to pass through without being screened or providing documentation. And in November 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said in a statement.
Prosecutors said that in at least two of those incidents, Celedon entered false information into the CBP database to avoid sending the drivers to mandatory secondary inspections.
Investigators determined that Celedon advertised his role in the human smuggling operation against Mexican smugglers and asked others to vouch that he was “doing his part,” prosecutors said. .
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Emmanuel Isaac Celedon, 36, a former Customs and Border Protection official, worked at the Lincoln Juarez Port of Entry in Laredo, Texas. (Alex Edelman/Getty Images)
Celedon was found with $1,980 in cash at the time of his arrest, which he told authorities was money for human smuggling.
Fox News Digital reached out to CBP for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Celedon was also caught trying to smuggle what was believed to be cocaine while undercover. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
In another drug case, Celedon agreed to smuggle several kilograms of cocaine out of Mexico through his assigned lane at the Laredo Port of Entry in October 2023, according to the statement.
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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Celedon was caught in an undercover operation that revealed he had an interest in smuggling cocaine into the United States for payment. He presented his work schedule and directed others to direct certain vehicles into his lane so they could cross safely.
Prosecutors said Celedon was paid $6,000 after a vehicle loaded with counterfeit cocaine passed through a port of entry.
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Celedon faces up to 80 years in prison on bribery and drug charges, as well as four counts of bringing illegal aliens into the United States.
