Two high-ranking border guards who partied with the Mexican tequila mogul are currently under investigation

Two top Border Patrol officials are under investigation after partying with and being the guest of a wealthy Mexican tequila maker who wanted to make Border Patrol-branded tequila, three sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News.

The sources said the relationship between Brenner Francisco Javier González and Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens and Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sector Chief Gloria Chavez raised questions about whether the officials had disclosed their contact with a foreign national, a requirement for those who receive top security clearances and whether they have accepted anything that could constitute a violation of ethical rules. The Customs and Border Protection Office of Professional Responsibility, the agency’s internal oversight body, is investigating.

In photos posted to social media this February, Owens and Chavez were seen in Jalisco, Mexico, with González at Tequila Casa de los González, his family’s distillery complex.

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Their relationship dates back to at least July 2023, when Gonzalez hosted a party for Customs and Border Protection leadership in Laredo, Texas, two Department of Homeland Security officials said. González is the grandson of the founder of Don Julio Tequila, a major international brand, and his family remains leaders in the industry.

At one point, according to two sources familiar with the investigation, González and Border Patrol leaders discussed producing a Border Patrol-branded tequila to mark the 100th anniversary of the Border Patrol, to be celebrated at a multi-day event in El Paso, Texas, later that year Month.

The Border Patrol tequila project has been put on hold amid the ongoing CBP investigation, three sources told NBC News.

A CBP spokesman did not say whether Owens and Chavez disclosed their contact with Gonzalez or how they paid for their trip to Mexico. Jalisco, known for its tequila industry, is a two-hour flight from San Antonio, Texas.

In a statement, a CBP spokesperson said: “CBP has confidence in our leaders and requires them to have the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. Consistent with our commitment to accountability, we thoroughly investigate all allegations and take appropriate action to address any issues.” “CBP will continue to strengthen our commitment to the agency’s standards at all levels.”

González and his company, Tequila Reserva de los González, did not respond to requests for comment about Owens and Chavez, their visit to Jalisco, the Laredo party or plans for a Border Patrol tequila.

While Border Patrol tequila is now off the menu, the agency is still preparing for its 100th anniversary celebration in El Paso later this month. A schedule posted online calls for two golf tournaments, a parade and a multi-day evening gala in late May.

Four sponsors are listed on the event’s website. Three of them are major CBP contractors that have collectively won government contracts worth hundreds of millions.

The companies did not respond to requests for comment.

Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on Government Oversight, a good government nonprofit, said the sponsorship alone raises questions. “This scenario raises a million red flags about the propriety of government contractors celebrating their public sector customers,” she said.

The new allegations are the latest controversy in a tumultuous year and a half for the nation’s largest law enforcement agency.

In January 2023, Acting Director of Law Enforcement Tony Barker suddenly resigned amid allegations he pressured female employees for sex.

In February 2024, Border Patrol Deputy Joel Martinez retired amid allegations of sexual misconduct toward female employees. A whistleblower report that same month questioned why CBP’s chief medical officer tried to order fentanyl lollipops for a security mission to the U.N. General Assembly in New York in the fall of 2023.