By Steve Neavling
A former CBP officer was convicted of trafficking drugs following a jury trial, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Juan Posas Jr., 51, of Raymondville, Texas, was accused of hand-delivering a box of approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine to a 25-year-old Mexican national residing illegally in the U.S.
The jury deliberated for two hours before finding Posas guilty of drug-trafficking charges.
During the trial, prosecutors played a recoded phone conversation in which Posas discussed the drug-smuggling attempt.
The defense argued that Posas never checked the contents of the box and thought he was giving the Mexican national a box of fruits.
The jury didn’t buy it.
Posas faces between 10 years and life imprisonment when he is sentenced on Sept. 14.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance from the DEA and Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jongwoo Chung and Jose A. Garcia prosecuted the case.
