A San Diego man pleaded for leniency from a border agent after being caught with banned cancer-causing pesticides hidden in his vehicle, according to federal prosecutors.
Juan Velderrain Perez, 43, a citizen of Mexico and resident of San Diego, was stopped last month at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry near San Diego, prosecutors said. He did not declare the chemicals during the inspection, the complaint alleges.
The agents discovered 24 liters of Mexican-label pesticides in Perez’s possession. The products, labeled “Taktic,” contain amitraz, an active ingredient the Environmental Protection Agency has banned since at least 2019.
The EPA has determined that amitraz poses reproductive, developmental and neurological risks to humans, along with long-term cancer risks. Animal studies have shown the chemical reduced male fertility and live births.
After being confronted, Perez issued a plea to a border agent not to arrest him, according to the complaint. He then allegedly confessed to having smuggled pesticides in the past, prosecutors said. He also admitted he expected payment of a smuggling fee upon delivery of this shipment, the complaint states.
Perez appeared in federal court following his apprehension. He now faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.
Federal prosecutors have pursued similar smuggling cases across the California-Mexico border in recent years. In 2022, Sofia Mancera Morales, the ringleader of a cross-border pesticide smuggling network, was convicted of directing couriers to bring concentrated Taktic and Bovitraz across California ports of entry, according to Times of San Diego. Her operation used multiple couriers to transport the banned chemicals into the United States.
The repeated smuggling of amitraz-based products has drawn sustained law enforcement attention to the Otay Mesa crossing and other California border points. Both Taktic and Bovitraz have been targeted in multiple prosecutions.
Perez’s case represents the latest enforcement action against individuals attempting to circumvent the EPA’s longstanding prohibition on amitraz. The chemical’s documented health effects have made its importation a federal priority.
A preliminary hearing for Perez is scheduled for Sept. 15.