By STEWART M. POWELL, HOUSTON CHRONICLE
“Even as it works to beef up security, the U.S. government is turning up hundreds of agents who may already be compromised
Rookie agent Raquel “Kelly” Esquivel – no relation to Diego – is serving 15 years in a North Texas federal prison, one of many federal law enforcement personnel targeted by Mexican drug cartels in criminals’ widening campaign to infiltrate or buy turncoats within the expanding ranks of 20,700 Border Patrol agents and 21,000 Customs and Border Protection officers stationed at airports, seaports and land crossings.
Investigations of border security personnel have expanded in each of the past four years, with at least 1,036 inquiries under way, including some 267 focused on suspected corruption. Additional corruption-related investigations are conducted by the FBI or internal affairs agents within the agencies.
“The cartels buy off police chiefs and elected officials in Mexico, and now they’re trying to buy off our Border Patrol agents who are our first line of defense,” said McCaul.
Other border protection officers in Texas and elsewhere also have faced federal corruption charges in recent years.
Even with all the precautions, senior officials concede they can only guess at the breadth of infiltration or corruption by Mexican cartels.