CUSTOMS AGENT IN CALEXICO CHARGED WITH SMUGGLING

CALEXICO, Calif. (AP) -- A U.S. Customs Service inspector conspired with
smugglers to allow loads of marijuana through a Southern California border
crossing, federal authorities said Friday.

Inspector Carlos A. Dominguez, 33, of Yuma, Ariz., was arrested early
Thursday morning on his way to work at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing at
Calexico, about 130 miles east of San Diego.

Dominguez, who worked as a Customs inspector for two years, pleaded
innocent to one count of conspiracy to import marijuana into the country,
said assistant U.S. attorney Todd Robinson.

The inspector had been the focus of a four-month investigation. He was
allegedly paid at least $20,000 to allow large quantities of marijuana,
more than 300 kilograms at a time, into the United States, according to
court papers. The most recent load was 559 pounds of the drug on Sept. 11,
the records show.

"It saddens us when a fellow officer is arrested," Rudy M. Camacho,
director of Southern California field operations for the Customs Service,
said. "Nothing is more important to our mission than the integrity of our
employees."

Dominguez, who is being held without bond, faces between 10 years and life
in prison if convicted, Robinson said. A hearing on whether to release him
on bail is scheduled for Sept. 20.

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CALEXICO, Calif. (AP) -- A U.S. Customs Service inspector conspired with
smugglers to allow loads of marijuana through a Southern California border
crossing, federal authorities said Friday.

Inspector Carlos A. Dominguez, 33, of Yuma, Ariz., was arrested early
Thursday morning on his way to work at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing at
Calexico, about 130 miles east of San Diego.

Dominguez, who worked as a Customs inspector for two years, pleaded
innocent to one count of conspiracy to import marijuana into the country,
said assistant U.S. attorney Todd Robinson.

The inspector had been the focus of a four-month investigation. He was
allegedly paid at least $20,000 to allow large quantities of marijuana,
more than 300 kilograms at a time, into the United States, according to
court papers. The most recent load was 559 pounds of the drug on Sept. 11,
the records show.

"It saddens us when a fellow officer is arrested," Rudy M. Camacho,
director of Southern California field operations for the Customs Service,
said. "Nothing is more important to our mission than the integrity of our
employees."

Dominguez, who is being held without bond, faces between 10 years and life
in prison if convicted, Robinson said. A hearing on whether to release him
on bail is scheduled for Sept. 20.