Border Patrol agent's home had hidden underground room

By Greg Moran
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 12:33 p.m.

SAN DIEGO — Federal agents found an underground room beneath the backyard patio at the home of a Border Patrol agent charged with harboring illegal immigrants, a federal prosecutor said in court Wednesday.

The room was discovered during a raid by a large contingent of federal officials Tuesday at the San Ysidro home of Border Patrol Agent Marcos G. Manzano Jr.

Manzano, 26, appeared in court to face charges of harboring illegal immigrants, aiding and abetting, and lying to a federal officer. Authorities also filed an allegation seeking forfeiture of the home on Shooting Star Drive.

The room was accessed by moving a large concrete slab and climbing down a ladder, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. She said a corridor then led to a room about 7 feet to 8 feet high.

Inside that room agents found Jose Alfredo Garrido-Morena, 26. McGrath said he was hiding beneath a table. Garrido was arrested and charged with being in the country illegally after previously being deported.

During the search of the home, authorities also found 61 grams of methamphetamine as well as a "substantial" amount of narcotics packaging and other materials, McGrath said. As a result, Manzano may also be facing drug-related charges in the future.

She said authorities believe the room was used to hide drugs or illegal immigrants, or perhaps both.

Manzano was arrested Monday night at his job at the Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station. He has worked for the agency since 2007.

His father, Marcos Manzano Sr., 46, was living at the home with the son for at least a year, authorities said. The elder Manzano faces charges of being in the country illegally after previously being deported, the last time following a drug conviction in state court. He was not arrested Tuesday and remains at large.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Louisa S. Porter set a $75,000 bond for the younger Manzano, who said little and looked on quietly during the brief hearing. Defense lawyer Frank Regan said the border patrol agent had lived in San Diego his whole life. His mother and an aunt were in court to support him.

McGrath said that the younger Manzano had ties to Mexico, including a girlfriend who lives there, and he crosses the border frequently. She said he had also previously been arrested for drunken driving, which she said he never reported to the agency.

Regan said that charge eventually ended up as a reckless driving charge.

Porter set bond for Garrido at $40,000.

greg.moran@uniontrib.com; (619) 293-1236; Twitter @gregmoran

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011 ... derground/