CBP Officer Manuel Perez Jr., a 32-year-old US citizen originally from California, is allegedly a member of the La Linea, more commonly known as the Juárez drug cartel, investigators said.

A federal judge denied bond for Manuel Perez Jr., a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer, following allehed his involvement with a Mexican drug cartel.P

A U.S. CBP officer allegedly involved in migrant smuggling on the Texas border was a member of a Mexican drug cartel, a federal agent testified.

Manuel Perez, 32, was arrested in his Customs and Border Protection uniform last week following a multi-agency investigation in the US city of El Paso – as a judge warned he was a 'flight risk'

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer was arrested and charged with human smuggling and drug trafficking, according to court documents.