Court Documents: Tucson Border Patrol Agent drove duffel bags of drugs to Phoenix airport

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - A U.S. Border Patrol Agent has resigned following his arrest for drug smuggling.

The agent, Carlos Victor Passapera Pinott, was assigned to the Tucson Sector, Ajo Station. The 53-year-old was arrested on multiple counts of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Chief Rodney Scott tweeted out a statement regarding the arrest Tuesday afternoon.

According to a criminal complaint, Passapera left his Buckeye home around 3:15 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 9. Passapera drove to the Ajo Border Patrol Station in Why and then to a remote desert area near the Lukeville Port of Entry.

Passapera then took the same route through Why on his way to Phoenix and parked at Sky Harbor International Airport around 9:15 a.m.

The complaint states when another person pulled up next to Passapera’s SUV, he took two duffel bags from his trunk and put them in the other person’s car. After speaking briefly, that person, referred to as ‘Co-conspirator A’ in the complaint, drove away.

After leaving the airport parking lot, the individual was pulled over by law enforcement. Multiple packages of drugs and 350,000 pills were found in the duffel bags.

In field tests, samples of the packages tested positive for characteristics of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. According to the complaint, the bags contained about 21 kilograms of cocaine, 1 kilogram of heroin and 1 kilogram of fentanyl. The hundreds of thousands of pills also tested posted for fentanyl.

When agents executed a search warrant at Passapera’s home, they found about $329,000 dollars. An additional $40,000 were found in Passapera’s SUV.

Passapera’s detention hearing is scheduled for August 13.

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