After finding nearly $370,000 in cash at a house and vehicle owned by a former Border Patrol agent accused of smuggling drugs, federal agents found an additional $311,000 in a safe deposit box, according to documents filed in Tucson’s federal court.
Federal agents allegedly found the cash in the safe deposit box while executing a search warrant on Aug. 10, the day after Carlos Victor Passapera Pinott, 53, was arrested in suspicion of smuggling about 50 pounds of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl from a remote desert area near Lukeville, about 150 miles southwest of Tucson, to the Phoenix airport, according to court records.
Passapera transferred duffel bags containing the drugs to an unidentified co-conspirator in a parking lot at the airport on Aug. 9, a special agent with the FBI wrote in a criminal complaint. FBI agents say they found 46 pounds of cocaine and about 2 pounds each of heroin and fentanyl, along with 350,000 pills that have initially tested positive for fentanyl.
Federal agents executed search warrants the day of the arrest and allegedly found $329,000 in cash inside Passapera’s house in Buckeye and $40,000 in cash inside his SUV, according to the complaint.
The next day, FBI agents searched a safe deposit box that Passapera had leased since January and found $311,000 in cash, according to allegations made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office that were included in an Aug. 14 motion filed by Walter Gonçalves, Passapera’s court-appointed lawyer.
Between September 2019 and April 2020, Passapera and his wife also deposited $125,000 in cash into various bank accounts, according to court filings. They also made several large cash purchases. Passapera’s wife “regularly deposited bundles of $20 bills at the bank,” which Gonçalves said came from a settlement because of an accident.
Passapera resigned from the Border Patrol on Aug. 11 after 10 years with the agency, Gonçalves wrote. Passapera’s duties at the Border Patrol’s Ajo Station included monitoring surveillance cameras and directing agents on the ground to locations where illegal border activity was occurring.
An August, 2020, heatwave continued into a second week in Tucson and throughout Arizona. Tucson broke a record with a high temperature of 111-degrees. Most days bounce around from 106-109, with little monsoon rain to cool the afternoons. Video by Josh Galemore / Arizona Daily Star
Passapera declared bankruptcy in 2015 and reported a gross monthly income of $8,000, according to court filings.
While federal agents had Passapera under surveillance in May and June, Passapera did not show up for work at least 12 times, but he filed reports saying he actually did work those days. On “many other days,” he arrived home before the end of his shift, according to court filings.
A magistrate judge ordered Passapera detained pending his trial. Gonçalves argued that Passapera did not pose a flight risk and should be released from custody. As of Tuesday, no decision had been filed on the court docket and Passapera remained in custody.
Rodney Scott, the chief of the Border Patrol, posted a message on Aug. 11 on Twitter about Passapera’s arrest. Scott said everyone is innocent until proven guilty or they admit their crimes.
“I sleep well at night knowing 99% of you are just as hurt and angry as I am when you learn of criminal allegations against someone that took an oath and pinned on a badge,” Scott wrote.
“Any individual that knowingly and willfully tarnishes the badge by violating the same laws that we are sworn to uphold is the worst kind of criminal, because they betray the entire law enforcement community and the trust of those we serve,” Scott wrote.
An August, 2020, heatwave continued into a second week in Tucson and throughout Arizona. Tucson broke a record with a high temperature of 111-degrees. Most days bounce around from 106-109, with little monsoon rain to cool the afternoons. Video by Josh Galemore / Arizona Daily Star
Photos of the U.S. – Mexico border fence
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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A dog stands on a road commonly used by Border Patrol near Slaughter Ranch Museum Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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A border monument on the Mexico side of the border seen east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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The San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge sits on the U.S. side of the border with Mexico east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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A bull and cow graze near the site of new wall construction east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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The border seen stretching from hills east of Douglas into the Guadalupe Mountains Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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Flowers grow around border fencing near the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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Construction equipment set up at the site of new border wall construction on the US/Mexico border east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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A Border Patrol tower on the hills east of Douglas Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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Memorials place on graves at Julia Page Memorial Park in Douglas which sits along the U.S./Mexico border Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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A car drives through Douglas on a road parallel to the U.S./Mexico border wall Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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The Slaughter Ranch homestead Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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A lake on the Slaughter Ranch Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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A toy rocking horse placed on the side of East Geronimo Trail with a sign advertising five minute pony rides for 25 cents Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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Highway 2 in Mexico winds its way to Agua Prieta Thursday, Sept. 27, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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The vehicle in a ditch was driven through the international border fence in Agua Prieta, Mex., into Douglas, Arizona in July 1987.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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Mexican citizens run back into Agua Prieta, Mexico through a hole in the border fence at Douglas, Ariz., after the U.S. Border Patrol scared them back across the border in 1997.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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The Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry on May 1, 2018, in Douglas, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Douglas, Ariz.
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The Douglas, Ariz., border crossing in 1968.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
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U.S./Mexico border fencing next to a old church building in Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
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Old border posts line the U.S./Mexico line near Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
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A Soal Off Roading sticker placed on a U.S./Mexico border post near Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
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Mountains in Santa Cruz County seen from Duquesne Road between Nogales and Lochiel seen Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
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A monument in Lochiel marking where Fray Marcos De Niza entered Arizona Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
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Brothers Ramon and Ed De La Ossa mend fencing on their family's ranch in Lochiel after moving cattle Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. The ranch which used to span both sides of the U.S./Mexico border has been in the family for three generations.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
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Ed De La Ossa mends fencing on his family's ranch in Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019. The ranch which used to span both sides of the U.S./Mexico border has been in the family for three generations.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
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Ed De La Ossa moves cattle on his family's ranch in Lochiel Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
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U.S. Customs inspector Helen Mills, right, greets Mexican counterpart Raymundo Aguirre Castillo at the U.S. - Mexican border station at Lochiel, Ariz., in 1979.
U.S. – Mexico border near Lochiel, Ariz.
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The US Customs building, right, at Lochiel, Ariz., is just a short distance away from the international border in May 1972. For ten years, Mills has been managing the port of entry, which is mostly made up of five houses, a school and an vacant church, inspecting vehicles as they head into the US. During the week, from Monday through Saturday, Mills opens the border gate from 8 am to 10 am and from 4 pm to 6 pm. On Sunday the gate is open from 8 am to 6 pm. In that time barely a dozen vehicles make their way across the border but it is a major convenience to the local residents.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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Pedestrians walk to the Nogales port of entry Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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A pedestrian walks across North Grand Avenue in Nogales near the U.S./Mexico port of entries Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer R. Hernandez uses a density-measuring device on the rear quarter-panel of a Mexico-bound passenger vehicle at the DeConcini Port of Entry on Nov. 2, 2016, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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A Customs and Border Protection officer makes a visual check of a man's identification at the DeConcini Port of Entry on Feb. 15, 2017, in Nogales, Ariz. Busts of fraudulent border-crossing documents and the use of someone else's documents plummeted in Arizona and the rest of the border in the past decade.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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Northbound commercial truck traffic lined up for inspection at the Mariposa Port of Entry on March 28, 2017, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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In the commercial lanes a semi truck stops between the lanes looking for the first available opening at the Mariposa Port of Entry in 2015.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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Javier Castillo inspects a north-bound Mexican tractor-trailer at the Arizona Department of Transportation's inspection facility at the Mariposa Port of Entry on Sept. 19, 2017, in Nogales, Ariz. ADOT's International Border Inspection Qualification program, led by ADOT's Border Liaison Unit, teaches commercial truck drivers what to expect during safety inspections when they enter Arizona ports of entry.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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A Border Patrol truck parked near the commercial port of entry in Nogales.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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An illegal alien scales the U.S.-Mexico fence back toward Sonora after a Nogales Police Department officer, right, spotted him west of the Mariposa Port of Entry, Nov. 15, 2018, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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Kory's, a store catering to wedding, quincea–era and formal gowns, located at 15 N Morley Ave, Nogales, Ariz., sits katty corner to the Morley Gate Border Station on January 30, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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Sun shines through the U.S.-Mexico bollard fence west of the Mariposa Port of Entry, Nov. 15, 2018, in Nogales, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near Nogales, Ariz.
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Children from Nogales, Sonora, climb through a hole in the international border fence to trick-or-treat in Nogales, Arizona, on Halloween in 1987.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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Border monument #166 is seen on the right as construction continues on the new 30-foot tall bollard fence that replaces old U.S./Mexico border fence two miles east of the Lukeville, Arizona port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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Construction continues on the new 30-foot tall bollard fence along the U.S./Mexico border two miles east of the Lukeville, Arizona port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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A Mexican worker rides his horse along a road south of the U.S./Mexican border wall on his way back into Sonoyta Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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New paneling of border wall seen about three miles east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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Old mesh paneling is removed in preparation for new wall to be built about three miles east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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A construction worker prepares cables to lift a piece of the 30-foot tall bollard fence along the U.S./Mexico border fence two miles east of the Lukeville, Arizona port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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Border Patrol Officers to the side of a worksite about three miles east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry where new border wall is being installed seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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Old wall east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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Raised wall east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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A work site east of the Lukeville/Sonoyta port of entry seen from the Mexico side of the border line Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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Normandy fencing placed against a section of border fence west of Lukeville Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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A semi passes by Quitobaquito Springs as it drives along Highway 2 in Mexico Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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An area referred to as "flood gate" along the U.S./Mexico border near Sasabe, Ariz. is on the list of the Department of Homeland Security’s priorities for building a border wall, but no funding has been allocated yet. September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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Vehicle barriers mark the U.S./Mexico border within the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Sasabe, Ariz. on September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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A portion of the U.S./Mexico bollard border fence ends on the right and vehicle barriers begin within the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in Sasabe, Ariz. on September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Integrated Fixed Tower, left, near Sasabe, Ariz. on September 16, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near Sasabe and Lukeville, Ariz.
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The new 30-foot tall bollard fence that replaced old U.S./Mexico border fence can be seen on the left. It's located about miles east of the Lukeville, Arizona port of entry on October 8, 2019. Photo taken from Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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A US Border Patrol vehicle seen next to a section of new 30 foot high wall along the US/Mexico border near the commercial port of entry in San Luis Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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Old fencing is taken down along the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico, Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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A security guard stand in a construction site where a new fence will be placed on the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico, Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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Old fencing against new fencing along the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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Crews prepare ground for a new fence to be placed on the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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Vehicles in line to enter the United States from San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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New fencing along the United States/Mexico border seen from the northern end of San Luis, Mexico on Aug. 7, 2019.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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A new section of fencing on the U.S. - Mexico border in California, just west of Yuma, Ariz., in 1993.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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Sand drifts through the "floating fence" that marks the border running through the dunes, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, west of San Luis, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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A sign warns of the dangers of trying to swim the All-American Canal just north of the Mexican border, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, west of San Luis, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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A long string of lights illuminate the no-man's land between the triple fencing of the Mexican border, Wednesday, July 25, 2018, San Luis, Ariz.
U.S. – Mexico border near San Luis, Ariz.
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The border fence comes to an abrupt end at the currently dry Colorado River, Thursday, July 26, 2018, west of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora.
