INS Inspector, 2 Others Guilty in Bribery, Drug Case

An Immigration and Naturalization Service inspector and two other men have been convicted in a bribery and smuggling scheme that allowed six tons of cocaine to be brought from Mexico into the United States through Calexico.

“The significance of this case cannot be overstated,” Assistant U.S. Atty. Gonzalo P. Curiel, one of the prosecutors, said Monday. “It shows our willingness to pursue long-term cases of corruption at the border. This is not the end. These convictions are just one chapter.”

A fourth defendant, a U.S. Customs Service inspector, was acquitted on three charges, and the jury was unable to reach a conclusion on two others. A fifth defendant had already pleaded guilty to driving a load of cocaine from Calexico to Los Angeles.

The indictment of the five was heralded as part of a redoubled effort by federal authorities to close off what is called the “cocaine corridor” through the Imperial Valley and to root out official corruption at the border.

Convicted were INS inspector Arthur Garcia, 42, immigration consultant Rafael Ayala, 45, and Calexico resident Felix Calderon Barron, 43. Because of the amount of drugs involved, all three face possible life imprisonment. Prosecutors have not decided whether to retry customs inspector Francisco Mejia.

During a six-week trial, prosecutors showed that Ayala bribed Garcia to allow vehicles carrying cocaine to enter the United States at the Calexico port of entry in Imperial County. Calderon arranged for storage of the drugs in Calexico before it was considered safe to drive the cocaine to Los Angeles.

In addition to the drug charges, Garcia, Ayala and Barron were convicted of smuggling charges that require forfeiture of property and vehicles used in the operation. Gonzalo Gonzalez-Rios, who pleaded guilty to being the driver, will be sentenced next week.

The convictions were the culmination of a five-year effort by a host of federal agencies convinced that 80% of cocaine being smuggled into California is coming through the Imperial Valley. The indictment alleged that the ring led by Ayala may have smuggled as much as $78 million worth of cocaine into this country between 1987 and 1992.

“We hope this case sends a message to all [border] agents,” Curiel said. “If you’re tempted to cooperate with the drug smugglers: don’t.”