Judge denies Border Patrol agent bond

McALLEN -- A federal judge denied bond Thursday to a U.S. Border Patrol agent accused of drug smuggling, describing the man's purported actions as a "strong violation" of the nation's trust.

Reynaldo Zuniga, 34, of Harlingen, was arrested June 6 after U.S. Department of Homeland Security investigators recorded him picking up an illegal immigrant carrying a kilogram of cocaine, according to a criminal complaint filed in his case.

He later admitted to accepting cash payments to smuggle immigrants on five or six previous occasions but said he did not know any of the men were narcotics traffickers, the document states.

Prosecutors, however, insisted Thursday that Zuniga was aware of what was happening.

Describing surveillance video taken from his Border Patrol vehicle on the day of his arrest, Assistant U.S. Attorney Toni Treviño said Zuniga grabbed a backpack a Mexican national was carrying and looked at its contents before driving away.

"He clearly could see that what he was transporting was cocaine," she said.

Still, Zuniga's attorney, Joe M. Valle, argued that his client deserved to be released pending trial because of his years of dedicated law enforcement service and lack of any prior criminal record.

Ultimately, U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby denied that request, citing Zuniga's frequent trips to Mexico, the "unusually significant evidence" against him and his current financial prospects. He has been suspended from his job without pay, pending the resolution of his case.

"We're talking about someone without current employment and who would clearly lose his job if convicted," Ormsby said.

Late last month, a federal judge in Houston also denied bond to another Border Patrol agent facing drug smuggling charges. Ramiro Flores Jr., 36, of McAllen, allegedly used his Border Patrol badge to bypass checkpoints at McAllen-Miller International Airport.

Once inside the secure area of the airport, authorities said, Flores handed off a bag filled with cocaine to another man waiting in the bathroom before both boarded a plane to Houston.

No trial dates have been set in either Zuniga's or Flores' cases.

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Jeremy Roebuck covers courts and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.