Man arrested at Otay Mesa crossing with 24 liters of banned cancer-linked pesticides

Federal authorities arrested Juan Velderrain Perez, a 43-year-old Mexican national residing in San Diego, after surveillance footage showed officers finding six bottles of the pesticide “Taktic” concealed under a floor mat in his car at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. The product, which contains the active ingredient amitraz, has been prohibited in the United States since at least 2019 because of its links to reproductive, developmental, neurological damage and long-term cancer risk.

According to the indictment, Perez failed to declare the chemicals, pleaded with an agent not to be caught, and later confessed to the smuggling operation and the expectation of a delivery fee. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 15 and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment plus a $250,000 fine. The case follows earlier prosecutions, notably the 2022 conviction of Sofia Mancera Morales for directing couriers to bring concentrated Taktic and Bovitraz across California border points.