SAN DIEGO — A former border patrol officer has been sentenced to 23 years behind bars after accepting bribes to facilitate the entry of both individuals and vehicles laden with narcotics into the United States, as stated by law enforcement officials.

During the trial, witnesses provided evidence that Leonard Darnell George, aged 42, made the decision to let vehicles pass through his checkpoint lane at the San Ysidro border crossing, which is the busiest border entry point in the U.S., in late 2021. According to a release from the U.S. attorney’s office for Southern California, an alert on one of the suspect vehicles in February 2022 triggered a search, leading to the confiscation of 222 pounds (approximately 100 kilograms) of methamphetamine.

Prosecutors claimed that George, who was then employed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, permitted another vehicle into the country that contained 200 pounds (around 91 kilograms) of various drugs. Further evidence via text messages revealed that he received $17,000 for each vehicle he allowed through, amassing a total of $68,000 after facilitating the entry of four vehicles during June 2022.

George faced a jury trial, ultimately being found guilty of accepting bribes along with other related charges in June.

Elizabeth Cervantes, the special agent in charge of the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility in San Diego, emphasized that the Customs and Border Protection agency has a zero-tolerance policy for any form of misconduct among its personnel.