The United States will agree to drop counts of drug trafficking and instead charge a former high-ranking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent from Nogales with obstruction of justice.

Richard Padilla Cramer, a Nogales, Ariz., native with 30 years in federal law enforcement, was arrested in September at his Green Valley home by Drug Enforcement Administration agents on trafficking and corruption charges.

Padilla had initially pleaded not guilty, then entered into an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and offered to change his plea last week.

Federal court records show that the U.S. will ask for two years imprisonment and probation.

Initial charges out of Florida had accused Padilla Cramer of investing in a shipment of 660 pounds of cocaine that were supposed to be shipped from Panama to Spain.

He was also accused of selling confidential federal law enforcement database information for $2,000 when he worked as an ICE attach�© in Guadalajara.

A draft of his plea agreement was filed last week and made available to a reporter. Monday morning, the U.S. Attorney’s in Florida said the change of plea hearing is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 11.

According to the draft of the plea agreement, Padilla queried law enforcement databases for a pair of drug traffickers who wanted to see if they had any felony warrants filed against them.

In January 2006, Arturo Yidi Quintero, an alleged money launderer, was in Florida, wanting to return to Mexico but afraid to do so because he didn’t know if he had a warrant for his arrest in that country. His associate, Nizar Issa David, was also being cautious. They were put in touch with Padilla Cramer in Guadalajara by other drug traffickers who told them they had an agent working within U.S. law enforcement.

Padilla accessed the DEA and ICE databases as well as the National Criminal Information System, searching for both names. Between January and March, he printed out the information, confirming neither man was wanted in Mexico.

Russell Koonin, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Florida, declined to comment on this story, but the draft of the plea agreement shows that Padilla Cramer is expected to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Technically, the court can sentence him to twenty years in prison however federal prosecutors will ask for two years, in exchange for the guilty plea.

Padilla Cramer headed the Nogales ICE office until 2004 when he transferred to Guadalajara. He retired in 2007 then went to work for Santa Cruz County Detention Center until his arrest.

According to the original criminal complaint filed against him, between March and June 2007, Padilla invested $15,000 to $25,000 in a 660-pound shipment of cocaine headed for Vigo, Spain, from Panama City, Panama. Five members of the cartel were arrested in Spain when the ship landed. Two months later, Padilla attended a meeting with drug traffickers who convinced him to retire from ICE and go to work for them.

In May 2009, he went to work for Santa Cruz County.

“I don’t suspect he would make any attempt to rejoin our department and obviously we would not be accepting an application from him,” said Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada.

“This has been a big disappointment for his law enforcement family,” he said, “particularly disappointing.”