Ruben Montes from Calexico, California, received a 16-month prison sentence and was ordered to pay $12,710 in forfeiture. This judgment came as a result of his involvement in smuggling over $3 million worth of Mexican pesticides and veterinary drugs into the United States without approval.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson from the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) emphasized the importance of border security. "A secure border is vital to ensuring the health and safety of Americans," he stated. He also reaffirmed the Justice Department's dedication to prosecuting those who breach environmental and customs laws.
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon for the Southern District of California highlighted the risks posed by illegal imports. “Bringing in and selling pesticides and veterinary drugs illegally puts both people and the environment at risk,” he said, stressing that unregulated products can harm animals, insects, and humans.
Court documents revealed that since 2020, Montes had been orchestrating the smuggling of pesticides such as Taktic and Bovitraz—both unregistered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—alongside veterinary drugs like Tylocet, Terramicina, Tetragent Ares, and Catarrol, which lack Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
Montes instructed his co-conspirators to transport these products from Mexico into the U.S., bypassing declaration at borders. They concealed these items in storage units in Calexico before distributing them nationwide. Montes worked with co-defendant Gutierrez—still at large—to supply most products to individuals implicated in another case: United States v. Toledo et al., case number 22-cr-1965-JAH in U.S. District Court for Southern California.
The EPA has noted that amitraz—the active ingredient in Taktic and Bovitraz—is toxic to bees if introduced into hives, leading to potential human exposure through honey consumption. Such misuse could cause neurological or reproductive effects due to contaminated honey intake.
The prosecution team included Assistant Section Chief Stephen Da Ponte from ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabet Brown for Southern California.