Police officer stole drugs from busts and resold them in California, feds say
A former police officer is accused of stealing drugs from evidence and attempting to sell them, federal officials in California say.
John Abel Baca, an officer of 21 years at the Inglewood Police Department, has agreed to plead guilty to that offense, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California announced Oct. 12.
A cooperating witness told the FBI in February 2021 that Baca had reached out that past September and offered to sell a “kilogram of cocaine, two kilograms of ‘White China’ heroin and an unlimited supply of black tar heroin,” according to the plea agreement.
The witness said Baca and others stole drugs and cash during routine traffic stops that Baca made when he was on the drug task force, the agreement says. When the witness asked Baca what to tell the buyers about where the drugs came from, Baca said to tell them they came from Mexico, according to the plea agreement.
In the indictment, officials said Baca admitted to stealing drugs from the police department and reselling them.
He was arrested in October 2021 after a grand jury indicted him on drug charges, federal officials announced at the time.
“Mr. Baca understands the consequences of his plea,” Baca’s attorney, Victor Sherman, told McClatchy News in an email. “I believe that when all the facts are revealed in court it will be clear that a narcotic officer in his position is often under tremendous stress and things happen that don’t really reflect the kind of person he is.”
After the witness told the FBI about Baca’s offer to sell the drugs, Baca arranged to give the witness a small sample of cocaine in a glove for the alleged buyers to see, the plea agreement says. Their entire interaction in April 2021 was recorded.
About a week later, Baca dropped off a brick of plastic-wrapped cocaine in a Target bag for the witness to sell to the buyers, officials said. When the FBI obtained the cocaine, investigators found the substance weighed about 1 kilogram and was 83% pure.
Baca planned to sell the brick for $22,000, the agreement says. Later that night, he went to the witness’s house and picked up the money.
Baca, 47, agreed to plead guilty to one count of distribution of cocaine, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, according to the release. He is expected to formally plead guilty Oct. 17.
“In the plea agreement, Baca admitted that he abused his position of trust as a police officer, including by stealing drugs from IPD’s lock-up and reselling them,” officials said in the release.
Inglewood is in Los Angeles County.
This story was originally published October 13, 2023 at 12:09 PM with the headline "Police officer stole drugs from busts and resold them in California, feds say."