TUCSON, AZ — A Tucson sector border patrol agent has been arrested for alleged drug trafficking, according to a border patrol news release.
Officials say 53-year-old Victor Passapera Pinott left his Buckeye home Sunday around 3 a.m. and drove south to a remote area of the border west of the Lukeville Port of Entry. Passapera then reportedly drove to Phoenix Sky Harbor where he loaded two duffel bags into a different vehicle.
Law enforcement stopped that vehicle, and searched the bags, locating cocaine, heroin, and what's believed to be approximately 350,000 fentanyl pills. It's unclear what charges that driver is facing.
Passapera was taken into custody at his home later that day during a search warrant.
Agents reportedly found approximately $329,000 cash in Passapera's home and an additional $40,000 in the vehicle he allegedly used to transport the illegal narcotics.
Passapera is reportedly a border patrol agent at the Tucson Sector Ajo Border Patrol Station. He has been charged by complaint for multiple counts of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
