Juan Valderrain Pérez, a Mexican citizen residing in San Diego, appeared before a federal court this week to answer charges related to the illegal smuggling of unauthorized pesticides into the United States, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.
The arrest occurred in August at the Otay Mesa port of entry, where Valderrain attempted to enter U.S. territory without declaring any merchandise and asked the inspecting officer not to refer him to secondary screening because he “would get in trouble”.
A subsequent search of his vehicle uncovered 24 liters of hazardous pesticides bearing Mexican labels concealed in the car. Following his detention, the defendant admitted that this was not his first such operation and revealed that he expected to receive a commission upon successful delivery of the contraband.
The seized substances were identified as “Taktic,” a pesticide containing more than 12% of the active ingredient amitraz, a compound the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has banned since 2019 due to its association with causing reproductive, developmental, and neurological issues.
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The EPA has also warned of potential cancer risks linked to prolonged amitraz exposure, a finding that has prompted multiple regulatory actions and use restrictions in recent years. A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for September 15 at 1:30 p.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Valeria E. Torres.
