San Jose Police Union Executive Director Terminated Following Synthetic Opioid Smuggling Arrest

Listen to this article San Jose Police Union Executive Director Terminated Following Synthetic Opioid Smuggling Arrest

Introduction

The San Jose Police Officers’ Association has fired Joanne Marian Segovia, its executive director, following charges of attempting to illegally import synthetic opioids into the United States.Segovia’s arrest came as part of an ongoing investigation into a network that was shipping controlled substances into the Bay Area from abroad.

Charges and Arrest

According to a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s office, Segovia faced arrest for attempting to unlawfully import valeryl fentanyl, which is an analogue of the synthetic opioid that has been driving the overdose crisis in the United States. Attorney’s office. She allegedly used her personal and office computers to order thousands of opioid and other pills to her home address and agreed to distribute the drugs in the United States. Segovia was apprehended after federal investigators found her information on the phone of another network operative.

Investigation and Allegations

Segovia came under investigation in late 2022, according to a complaint filed by the Northern District of California, U.S. Attorney’s Office. She was first interviewed by federal investigators in February and continued to allegedly order controlled substances after that. During a subsequent interview in March, she tried to blame her housekeeper for the packages, WhatsApp messages, and cash transactions, which investigators believed was false information.

Union Response

The San Jose Police Officers’ Association fired Segovia after completing an initial internal investigation. Union officials plan to hire an outside investigator to conduct a thorough investigation into Segovia’s alleged crimes. The investigation aims to determine the extent to which she utilized union resources and whether such utilization could have been prevented. Sean Pritchard, president of the union, stated that “the abhorrent criminal conduct alleged against Ms. Segovia must be the impetus to ensuring our internal controls at the POA are strong and that we enact any changes that could have identified the alleged conduct sooner.”

Package Descriptions

The packages that contained the controlled substances were from overseas, including Hong Kong, Hungary, India, and Singapore.Shipping manifests for the packages described them as “Wedding Party Favors,” candies, or makeup products, but officials intercepted and opened five packages and found that they contained “thousands of pills of controlled substances” between July 2019 and January 2023.

Potential Consequences

If convicted, Segovia faces up to 20 years in prison. Her attorney, Will Edelman, did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment.

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