A former federal border inspector has pleaded guilty after attempting to smuggle over 130 pounds of cocaine into the United States.
On Monday, March 16, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California accepted the guilty plea of Joel Ricardo Olivas. The former FMCSA border inspector was charged in August 2025 for the importation of controlled substances.
According to the court documents, on July 21, 2025, Olivas attempted to enter the United States from Mexico at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Ysidro, Calif. After giving two negative declarations, Olivas’ vehicle – a 2014 Dodge Challenger – was referred for secondary inspection.
A K-9 unit alerted Customs and Border Protection agents to possible narcotics in the rear driver’s side quarter panel of the vehicle. A closer look would reveal a black brick concealed in a void along the vehicle’s body.
After removing the rear seats, CBP officers discovered a total of 50 bricks, which tested positive for cocaine.
Officials said the bricks of cocaine had an approximate weight of 59.48 kilograms – or 131.1 pounds.
Officers also seized a backpack during the inspection that contained a pair of cellphones and a laptop with a sticker reading “Property of the U.S. Department of Transportation.”
If the case had gone to trial, Olivas could have faced a minimum of 10 years behind bars, a maximum of life in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.
The plea agreement could be far less severe, with federal attorneys seeking 46 months in custody, three years of supervised release and no fine. Olivas is scheduled for sentencing on April 17.
Olivas isn’t the only former enforcement officer to have recently found themselves in hot water.
In October 2025, former Massachusetts Police sergeant Gary Cederquist was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in a scheme where he provided CDLs to applicants in exchange for bribes.
Prosecutors claimed that Cederquist gave passing scores to multiple applicants who had actually failed the CDL skills test. In exchange, he received free water, energy drinks, coffee and tea products, as well as Twizzlers and Swedish Fish candy. LL
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