CUSTOMS COPS TIPPED DRUG RING: U.S.

Two Midway Airport customs officers were accused Tuesday of giving out
confidential computer data to dealers of an international drug ring,
including details on whether the feds were tailing them.

Federal prosecutors say the two used their positions at Midway -- and
previously at O'Hare Airport and other locations -- to access private
databases and tip off drug cell leaders who allegedly smuggled
cocaine, marijuana and heroin from Mexico and distributed the drugs in
Los Angeles, Texas and Chicago.

The agents were charged along with 18 others in a complaint unsealed
Tuesday. Eleven people were arrested in Chicago, four in Colorado and
California; five others are still fugitives.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Jaime Garcia, 27, of the
4600 block of South Laflin in Chicago was arrested at Midway Airport
Monday night, and the second officer, Alma Teran, 28 of the 3800 block
of South Honore in Chicago, was picked up at her home Tuesday morning.

At one point in the investigation, authorities seized $330,000 in cash
from Garcia's home, according to a criminal complaint. The feds later
tapped phones to capture conversations between drug dealers and Teran
or Garcia.

Teran and Garcia appeared in court Tuesday, along with the other
suspects, where they were told what they were charged with and later
released. Teran, wearing a white T-shirt with "Madd Dog" written on
the back, dabbed tears from her eyes as prosecutors outlined the
charges. Garcia sat in the jury box with his hands clasped over his
face.

Elissa Brown, special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, said Teran and Garcia cleared criminal background checks
when they were hired in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Both previously
worked at O'Hare Airport.

The two are now on paid leave from posts that earned between $30,000
to $50,000. If they are indicted by a grand jury they will be fired,
Brown said.

If convicted, all charged face 10-year minimum sentences without
parole and maximum of life in prison.

Forty times from 2003 to 2004, Garcia accessed confidential
information from the Treasury Enforcement Computer System, a
confidential government database; Teran called up privileged
information from the National Crime Information Center about 12 times
this year.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ricardo Meza said members of the drug
organization asked Teran and Garcia to run their names and addresses
to see if they were being investigated. Garcia also ran his own name
and address.

Garcia allegedly had frequent contact with Jose Urena, 28, and Lino
Iniguez, 37, who were also charged and accused of being the leaders of
the Chicago drug cell. Iniguez remains a fugitive.

Meza said it is still unclear what Garcia and Teran got in exchange
for their help.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald called the alleged involvement of
customs agents "disturbing," but said their arrests send a message to
others.

"People working in sensitive law enforcement positions need to see
that the [government] will go after this and that people will be in
handcuffs, led away from work and face life imprisonment and 10-year
mandatory minimums," Fitzgerald said.

From the Chicago faction of the organization, the government seized
four guns, 140 kilos of cocaine -- with a street value of about $3
million -- a kilo of heroin, three tons of marijuana and more than
$350,000.

The investigation started with a 2003 rural traffic stop in Texas,
which led to wiretaps in Los Angeles and Chicago, said Richard
Sanders, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement
Administration.

"It is a major seizure and a big blow to the cell that we investigated
here," Sanders said.