CBP Officer Jose Luis Cota Pleads Guilty to Alien Smuggling

San Diego federal court watched the fall of a trusted border enforcer when U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Jose Luis Cota pleaded guilty to bribery and smuggling undocumented aliens into the United States. Cota, a 15-year veteran of the agency, admitted he allowed at least ten undocumented immigrants to cross through his inspection lane at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in exchange for cash and sexual favors.

Cota conspired with Mexican nationals Miriam Juarez-Herrera and Gilberto Aguilar-Martinez, who were arrested alongside him and pleaded guilty last week. From November 2015 to September 2016, the trio ran a well-oiled smuggling ring, charging as much as $15,000 per person to bypass federal inspection. Juarez-Herrera recruited the undocumented aliens in Mexico, organized fake entry documents, and delivered them directly to Cota’s primary vehicle lane for unchecked passage.

Cota admitted in his plea agreement to three counts of bringing in unlawful aliens for financial gain and one count of bribery of a public official. He confessed that after one successful smuggling event, he pocketed $13,000 in cash for letting two individuals slip across undetected. Over the course of the scheme, federal investigators found that Cota deposited more than $44,000 in cash into his bank accounts—money he could not legally explain.

When federal agents raided Cota’s residence in September 2016, armed with a lawful search warrant, they seized more than $17,000 in cash—direct proceeds from the bribery scheme. All of the illicit funds, including the bank deposits and seized cash, will be forfeited to the United States under the terms of his plea agreement. The evidence painted a picture of a corrupt officer exploiting his badge for personal profit.

The case was uncovered by the Border Corruption Task Force (BCTF), a joint operation involving the FBI, CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility, CBP Field Operations, and U.S. Border Patrol. Their year-long investigation peeled back layers of deception, exposing how Cota and his co-conspirators manipulated one of the busiest land border crossings in the nation. His arrest in September 2016 came immediately after one such smuggling event.

Acting U.S. Attorney Alana W. Robinson condemned the betrayal: “This officer violated the public’s trust for his own personal benefit and financial gain, while risking our nation’s safety and security.” She emphasized that rooting out border corruption remains a top priority. Cota now faces years behind bars, the collapse of his career, and a permanent stain on the uniform he once wore.