A shrine to fallen officers in the courtyard of the Tecate police headquarters lacks any mention of Juan Jose Soriano. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Amid vendors and musicians in the town’s tree-lined central plaza, Tecate police handcuff a man on unspecified charges. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
The tranquil veneer of Tecate’s central plaza -- where musicians perform for cafe diners and families enjoy ice cream treats -- masks the town’s reputation as a hub for organized-crime groups that use it as a base for smuggling humans and drugs. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
The international border crossing gate in Tecate, a city of 120,000 tucked in the rugged mountains 40 miles east of Tijuana. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
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From the boulder-strewn heights of Tecate Peak, U.S. Border Patrol officers look into Mexico for signs of smugglers. In the distance is the city of Tecate. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brandon Longaker stands on an outcropping overlooking Tecate. Since Juan Jose Sorianos death, relations between the Tecate Police Department and U.S. agencies have been almost nonexistent. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
