McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer has been arrested and charged with importing cocaine at an international bridge in Laredo, Texas.
Emanuel Celedon, 35, was charged with two counts of bribery and two counts of attempted importation, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani.
Celedon had a first appearance court hearing on Tuesday in Laredo.
He is accused of accepting money in exchange for allowing a person to go through an international port of entry in Laredo from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, between Oct. 23 and Oct. 30.
If convicted he faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine on the bribery charges, and up to 40 years in prison and $5 million fine on the cocaine charges.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.