cannabisnews.com: INS Inspector Pleads Innocent to Drug, Smuggling!





INS Inspector Pleads Innocent to Drug, Smuggling!
Posted by FoM on August 03, 1999 at 07:30:10 PT
Ben Fox, Associated Press Writer
Source: SF Gate
An immigration inspector has pleaded innocent to accepting $350,000 to allow thousands of pounds of marijuana and 20 illegal immigrants to enter the United States over the course of a year.
Richard Pineda, 41, was arraigned Monday in federal court on charges of racketeering, drug and immigrant smuggling. He faces life in prison if convicted. Authorities have also charged two Mexican nationals, one of whom is a Tijuana police officer, with participating in the smuggling ring, but neither man is in custody. Pineda was arrested Friday as he left his job at San Ysidro, where he has worked as an inspector for the Immigration and Naturalization Service since 1987. ``Everybody is very upset because one of our officers has violated the public trust,'' said INS spokesman Bill Strassberger. This is the third arrest in less than two months for corruption at San Ysidro, 15 miles south of San Diego just over the border from Tijuana, Mexico. Last week, authorities accused Keith Johnson, a former INS inspector, with smuggling three illegal immigrants through a pedestrian checkpoint at the port, the world's busiest border crossing. In early June, another former immigration inspector, Daniel Goodrum, was charged with stealing and selling green cards -- two of which were later used by drug smugglers to enter the United States, authorities said. Pineda, who faces life in prison if convicted, is a Navy veteran who is married and has two children, ages seven and eight. He has lived in San Diego for 23 years and earned a base salary of about $43,000 from the INS, but received about $75,000 total annually after overtime during the last two years, officials said. In all, authorities allege Pineda allowed 20 migrants to enter the United States illegally in five groups between Jan. 14, 1994 and Feb. 11, 1999. He is accused of waving through five loads of marijuana, totaling 3,546 pounds, between May 31, 1998 and Feb. 11, 1999. All of the drug shipments were later intercepted, but far enough away from the port that Pineda wouldn't become aware of the surveillance, authorities said. The two Mexican nationals allegedly earned at least $175,000 in the enterprise, while Pineda received $350,000 in payments, according to the indictment. (08-03) 01:29 EDT SAN DIEGO (AP) 
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Comment #1 posted by Jose Javier Carrera on October 23, 2000 at 17:30:45 PT
Shame on Him! If in deed guilty.
It is such a shame that a person that makes more money than the average person and who has a family would Want to jeopardize his job by going against the law. No wonder it is so hard to get selected and employed as an officer but i dont blame the department. He should have known that he would get caught sooner or later. Again if indeed he is guilty, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!!!!
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