Border Patrolman Charged With Smuggling

SAN DIEGO (CN) – A Border Patrol officer was charged Monday with conspiring to smuggle marijuana and undocumented people into the United States through his post at Otay Mesa.     Federal prosecutors say Luis Francisco Alarid let his uncle drive through the Otay Mesa port of entry in March, bringing in 18 undocumented aliens and 170 pounds of marijuana. One woman said she paid $5,000 to be smuggled into the United States, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.     Alarid, a Customs and Border Protection officer for the Department of Homeland Security, was arrested on May 16. He is in jail in San Diego.