A Mexican citizen residing in San Diego was caught attempting to bring hazardous, cancer-linked pesticides into California, authorities said.
Juan Velderrain Perez, 43, was arrested last month at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry near San Diego after officers found 24 liters of Mexican-labeled pesticides that are prohibited in the United States, prosecutors said.
The products, labeled “Taktic,” contain amitraz as the active ingredient, a chemical the Environmental Protection Agency says has been banned since at least 2019. Amitraz is associated with reproductive, developmental and neurological dangers, as well as long-term cancer risks.
According to the complaint, Perez failed to declare the chemicals when he was stopped at the US-Mexico border, then allegedly pleaded with a border agent not to “bust” him.
He later allegedly admitted he had smuggled pesticides before and said he expected to be paid a smuggling fee once the shipment was delivered.
Perez is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 15. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Federal prosecutors have brought similar pesticide-smuggling cases along the California-Mexico border in previous years.
In 2022, Sofia Mancera Morales, described as the leader of a cross-border pesticide smuggling operation, was convicted of directing couriers to transport concentrated Taktic and Bovitraz through California ports of entry, according to Times of San Diego.
Amitraz reduced male fertility and live births in studies on animals.
