Mexican drug smuggler convicted in hit-and-run killing of Border Patrol agent

L.A. Times
April 12, 2011

A Mexican drug smuggler was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder in connection with the 2008 hit-and-run death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was struck by a Hummer speeding back to Mexico, U.S. authorities said.

The agent, Luis Aguilar, 32, had just put down a spike strip in an attempt to stop the car driven by Jesus Navarro-Montes, when Navarro-Montes swerved and hit Aguilar head-on at about 55 mph, according to prosecutors and witnesses.

The incident occurred at Buttercup campground at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area in California’s southeastern corner, where smugglers tried to cross the border by blending in with off-road enthusiasts. Navarro-Montes kept going through the campground and fled two miles over the dunes into Mexico.

Aguilar, a six-year veteran who was part of an anti-smuggling team that worked undercover in the area, died at the scene.

The conviction marks the end of a long and frustrating effort by both countries to get Navarro-Montes behind bars. A year before hitting Aguilar, Navarro-Montes had been arrested for smuggling marijuana in the same area. Agents had successfully spike-stripped his car, but he and his female companion somehow got control of a Border Patrol vehicle and escaped back to Mexico, according to court documents.

After striking Aguilar, Navarro-Montes was arrested the following week by Mexican authorities. But he was released after Mexican officials claimed U.S. authorities had not submitted a formal extradition request. Mexican authorities recaptured Navarro-Montes a year later and extradited him.

“The entire prosecution team’s efforts in securing defendant Navarro-Montes’ presence in the United States and the presentation of the case has been nothing short of outstanding,â€