47-year-old Marvin Davis, a former Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper, is accused of smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S. from Mexico.
According to a local ABC affiliate, Davis was pulled over on a Houston highway on May 22 for “illegal window tinting.” Davis reportedly told the officer who pulled him over that he was a DPS trooper–he then showed the officer a vest in his car that said “State Police” on it.
When the officer noticed two men sitting in the back seats of the vehicle, he became suspicious and decided to run Davis’ plates, according to ABC. The plates showed that the vehicle was registered to Davis–not DPS.
Davis was arrested for impersonating an officer.
He had allegedly been fired from the Texas DPS in 2013, after being convicted of bribery, and was on probation for that crime.
It was subsequently discovered that Davis was working for an illegal alien smuggling organization at the time of his May 22 arrest. Reports state that during questioning with investigators, the two men found in the back of the vehicle claimed that Davis had illegally brought them into the U.S. from Mexico.
Eventually Davis allegedly admitted that he brought the men through the Border Patrol checkpoint located in Falfurrias, Texas. He was paid $500 per person he brought into the U.S. illegally, investigators claimed.
This allegedly wasn’t Davis’ first time smuggling in illegal immigrants–the incident on May 22 reportedly marked the fifth time he had done so, according to authorities.
It is not unheard of for law enforcement officers in U.S. border states to become entangled in illegal activities, typically surrounding illegal immigration or drug trafficking.
One example is 49-year-old Bobby Maldonado, a Texas State Trooper who plead guilty to money laundering on May 12. He admitted to delivering drug proceeds from interior U.S. cities to the Texas-Mexican border–if found guilty, Maldonado could spend up to 20 years in prison.
Another such case revolves around Lupe Trevino, a former sheriff of Hidalgo County in south Texas who pled guilty to money laundering on April 14. Trevino, with the help of several staff members, attempted to cover up cash campaign payments from a convicted drug trafficker–the total amount of contributions was reportedly between $70,000 and $120,000.
Trevino’s department has been the subject of scrutiny since January 2013 when members of its drug task force called the Panama Unit were accused of possessing and distributing marijuana, cocaine, and other illegal drugs. Trevino’s son, Jonathan Trevino, was a member of the unit along with nine other individuals.
Breitbart Texas’ Contributing Editor Sylvia Longmire said, “In a place like south Texas that is economically disadvantaged in many areas, it’s increasingly difficult for some public officials to turn away from the large amounts of money involved in the drug business.”
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.
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