Mexican Man Charged with Smuggling Banned Pesticides
SAN DIEGO / Wednesday, September 2, 2026 – Juan Velderrain Perez, a citizen of Mexico and resident of San Diego, appeared in federal court today to face charges that he smuggled unapproved pesticides into the United States.
Velderrain Perez was apprehended at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry last month with 24 liters of dangerous Mexican-labeled pesticides concealed in his car. According to a complaint, which charges Velderrain Perez with the felony offense of smuggling merchandise, he failed to declare the chemicals at the border and then asked the Customs and Border Protection officer not to refer him to secondary because he knew he would get in trouble. Later, he admitted this was not the first time he had smuggled pesticides, and that he expected to be paid a smuggling fee when he delivered the product, the complaint said.
The pesticides, labeled “Taktic,” contain the active ingredient amitraz at an emulsifiable concentration of 12.5 percent. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in the United States, amitraz in this form is a cancelled and unregistered pesticide and has been banned since at least 2019. The handling of amitraz poses reproductive, developmental, and neurological risks, as well as potential long-term cancer risks from exposure to the chemical, which led to regulations and restrictions on its commercial use.
Velderrain Perez is due in court on September 15, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. for a preliminary hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Valerie E. Torres.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are members of the Department of Justice’s Trade Fraud Task Force, a cross-agency law enforcement effort that also involves the National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Criminal and Civil Divisions, the Energy and Natural Resources Division, the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide. The Task Force was created to leverage all of the Department’s tools and authorities to prevent trade fraud that deprives the government of vital revenue, threatens critical domestic industries, undermines consumer confidence, and weakens national security. The Task Force is designed to pursue enforcement actions against parties who seek to evade tariffs and other duties, as well as smugglers who seek to import prohibited goods into the American economy. The Justice Department encourages whistleblowers to alert the government to credible allegations of fraud, including utilizing the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act or through the Criminal Division’s Corporate Whistleblower Program at CorporateWhistleblower@usdoj.gov using the form available here.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily W. Allen from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
DEFENDANT Case No. 26-mj-5136-DDL
Juan C. Valderrain Perez, Age: 43 San Diego, CA
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Smuggling Merchandise – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 545
Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Homeland Security Investigations
Contact
Kelly Thornton, Director of Media Relations
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California
