Ex-CBP officer sentenced in bribery case

Ex-CBP officer sentenced in bribery case    A former Customs and Border Protection officer was sentenced on March 31 in U.S. District Court in Brownsville, Texas, to 11.5 years in prison without parole for bribery, cocaine trafficking and alien smuggling, the Justice Department announced.
   The FBI and Department of Homeland Security began investigating Jose Raul Montano Jr., 35, in February 2008 after receiving a tip that the CBP officer used his position to allow others to smuggle illegal aliens and drugs into the country in exchange for bribes.
   According to the Justice Department, the investigation proved Montano notified his contacts when he would be working a particular lane. The contacts would relay the information to drivers who would, in turn, drive through his lane in vehicles carrying aliens, cocaine or both knowing they would be permitted to enter the United States unchecked. By the time of his arrest, he was receiving bribes ranging from $8,000 to $10,000 per vehicle