EX-CUSTOMS AGENT GETS SENTENCE OF 10 YEARS

Following a plea agreement set out by the Justice Department, a federal
judge sentenced a former U.S. Customs agent supervisor to the maximum
allowable time in prison for helping smuggle marijuana over the border.

Former U.S. Customs Service supervisor Ramon F. Torrez, 50, was sentenced
Friday in U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas, to 10 years in
prison for one count of obstruction conspiracy and one count of bribery
conspiracy.

U.S. District Judge David Briones sentenced Torrez to five years for each
count, to run consecutively. The judge further sentenced Torrez to three
years of supervised release and 200 hours of community services.

Briones also ordered Torrez to forfeit to the government $50,000,
representing bribe money Torrez had received. And the judge told Torrez to
file correct tax returns to reflect the bribes.

"I believe your client is getting off quite easily, Mr. (Luis) Islas,"
Briones said during a sentencing hearing Friday.

Defense lawyer Luis Islas declined to comment to the El Paso Times about
the case.

Torrez was originally charged with agreeing to and accepting a bribe of
about $80,000 from an informant. The indictment charged Torrez with one
count of conspiracy to import more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana,
conspiracy to defraud and obstruct the functions of the U.S. government and
a scheme to conceal material facts.

"I apologize to the court and the U.S. Customs Service for my actions, and
I am here to take responsibility for my actions," Torrez said during the
hearing.

Torrez must surrender on May 31 to authorities.

Torrez was a U.S. Customs employee for almost 20 years and had been a
supervisor since late 1996. He resigned in March 2000 while under
investigation. As a supervisory special agent, he was a group supervisor
for a multiple-agency task force.

Former U.S. Border Patrol agent Juan Martinez, 32, who was also a member of
Torrez' task force, was indicted last year with Torrez for allegedly
smuggling marijuana over the border. His case is still pending.

Former U.S. Customs agent David Jenkins, 39, has pleaded guilty of having
knowledge that a felony was being committed and failing to report it.
Jenkins, also a member of Torrez's task force, has yet to be sentenced and
faces up to three years in prison. Jenkins resigned from the U.S. Customs
Service in June 2000.

Torrez admitted in his guilty plea that he helped three informants import
marijuana into the United States from Mexico, escorting the loads and then
releasing them in El Paso on 15 occasions. Torrez acknowledged that the
smuggled loads involved about 16,000 pounds of marijuana.

From July 1, 1998, to July 28, 1999, Torrez admitted, he and Martinez
imported several loads of marijuana into the United States without seizing
them. Torrez would contact the U.S. Border Patrol to arrange for the
clearing of Border Patrol agents from the area of the intended crossing.

Torrez also admitted requesting on Sept. 22, 1999, that the El Paso
Sheriff's Department release to him four duffel bags of marijuana
containing 254 pounds of marijuana. Torrez later delivered the bags to an
informant.