Former Border Patrol agent gets 18 years in prison [Video]

BUCKEYE, Ariz. — A former Border Patrol agent from Buckeye has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for accepting bribes to help smuggle drugs into Arizona.

Carlos Victor Passapera Pinott, 56, was sentenced last week in court after pleading guilty to bribery and conspiracy to distribute drugs.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of Arizona, the former agent drove his Border Patrol vehicle into the desert in 2020 and picked up two duffel bags that he later transported to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The bags were then handed off to someone else.

Law enforcement later determined the bags contained cocaine, fentanyl and heroin.

Pinott admitted to accepting cash bribes in exchange for helping to smuggle drugs. Investigators reported finding over $300,000 in Pinott’s safe deposit box.

“The citizens of Arizona are the true victims of this crime. Passapera was …