Former Border Agents Arrested

By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD and ANDREW BECKER - October 21, 2008

Two former Border Patrol agents who investigators suspect committed some of the more brazen acts of smuggling-related corruption at the border in recent years have been arrested and jailed in Mexico, the United States authorities said Monday. The men, Fidel and Raul Villarreal, who are brothers, were arrested Saturday at a gated apartment complex near the United States Consulate in Tijuana, Michael Unzueta, the agent in charge of the San Diego office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Monday. The Villarreals, along with two other people believed to be involved in the case, were taken to a prison in Mexico City. United States prosecutors were making arrangements for their return to San Diego to face smuggling charges. The arrest is a significant break for investigators, who since 2006 have been looking into accusations that the Villarreals, who fled the country as investigators closed in, were involved in smuggling dozens of illegal immigrants, mostly Mexicans and Brazilians, while on duty and with Border Patrol vehicles.

“It was frustrating to see them flee the jurisdiction of the United States,” Agent Unzueta said. “But our perseverance paid off.” The case, among a rash of corruption accusations involving border police agencies in recent years, was all the more striking because Raul Villarreal often appeared on television as a spokesman for the San Diego division of the agency. The brothers were apparently tipped off about the investigation. They abruptly resigned in June 2006 and, investigators believed, left the country. Jan E. Ronis, a lawyer for their family, has said the brothers were prepared to defend themselves if the American authorities filed charges. Agent Unzueta said that the authorities secured an indictment against the brothers and that United States law enforcement officers then worked with the Mexican police to make the arrest. One of the brothers tried to escape, he said, but it was not clear which one.