A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer from Laredo, Texas, has been shackled by the law he once upheld. Emanuel Celedon, 35, was arrested after a federal indictment charged him with bribery and attempted narcotics smuggling. The officer, who served at Laredo's Port of Entry, is accused of dirty dealings that include letting drugs slip through the country's gatekeeper without inspection.
According to the announcement made by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani, Celedon is slated for an initial courtroom appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher dos Santos. The indictment, which was handed down on November 28, paints a picture of corruption with Celedon at the center, accepting bribes in exchange for a blind eye as kilos of a substance believed to be cocaine crossed from Mexico into the United States.
The gritty details of the charges allege that this breach of trust occurred between October 1 and 17, with Celedon pocketing U.S. currency to let the contraband pass. A second squeeze of ill-gotten gains is said to have occurred from October 23–30, reinforcing a pattern of betrayal spanning the month.
If Celedon is found guilty of the charges, he could be looking at up to 15 years in prison and fines reaching $250,000 for the bribery counts. The drug smuggling accusations are even heavier, carrying a sentence of five to 40 years and a potential $5 million slap to the wallet. This probe that brought the charges to light is the handiwork of a team-up between the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard W. Bennett and Jennifer Day leading the prosecution.
