FEW FACTS RELEASED IN ARREST OF AGENT

He And Mexican Man Held In Drug Trafficking

Several government agencies drew a veil of secrecy yesterday around a
mysterious case involving a Border Patrol agent arrested after a high-speed
chase in which he is accused of smuggling marijuana in his patrol vehicle.

The agent and a Mexican man were arrested on drug trafficking charges late
Tuesday after a late-night, 20-mile chase that led to the seizure of 10
duffel bags containing 750 pounds of marijuana.

The agent, Luis Francisco Higareda, 30, of Holtville in Imperial County,
was charged with felony drug possession for distribution, as was the man
found in his vehicle, Marcelino Verdugo Cota, 23.

They were being held at the Imperial County Jail yesterday and are due back
in El Centro federal court Tuesday when a judge will consider setting bail.
The case will eventually be transferred to San Diego federal court.

The arrests were the result of an investigation by the FBI and Office of
Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security, which does
internal affairs investigations for the Border Patrol.

An FBI spokeswoman said she couldn't provide any details about the incident
because it was "under investigation." Border Patrol representatives also
declined comment.

"The case is being handled by the federal agencies," Imperial County
Sheriff Harold Carter said yesterday, saying he couldn't talk about any
details.

The Office of Inspector General referred calls to the U.S. Attorney's
Office in San Diego, where a spokeswoman said she couldn't comment,
referring a reporter to a three-page court filing.

Officials from all of the agencies refused to answer any questions
detailing the investigation leading to Higareda's arrest, whether other
Border Patrol agents may have been involved or whether any drug rings were
connected to the seizure.

In the court papers, an agent with Homeland Security said he received a tip
that about 900 pounds of marijuana were going to be moved across the border
from a vehicle in Mexico into a marked Border Patrol vehicle.

An on-duty Border Patrol agent was supposed to then drive the marijuana to
a Calexico house, the Homeland Security agent wrote.

About 10 p.m., agents watched from under cover as a Border Patrol vehicle
- -- it's unclear whether it was a sedan or a sport utility vehicle --
approached the border in the desert about five miles east of Calexico and
met another vehicle coming from Mexico, according to the filing.

After what looked like an exchange, agents began following the marked
vehicle, and Higareda, who was driving, led them on a high-speed chase that
ended in Holtville, according to the filing.

The Homeland Security agent wrote that when the vehicle was searched, they
found the marijuana and Verdugo Cota, who was in the back.

Neither man agreed to talk to investigators.

Little information was available yesterday about Higareda, who was evicted
from an apartment in Holtville in April.

Higareda started working for the Border Patrol in April 1999 and was
assigned to the Calexico station. A colleague there confirmed that "he has
been here awhile, a few years," but would not comment further.

Another Border Patrol agent, Thomas Bair, was prosecuted on similar
charges, also involving duffel bags full of marijuana, in 1997. He was
working in Dulzura and was sentenced to five years in prison.

Library researcher Merrie Monteagudo contributed to this report.