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Dirty Cop: LASD Deputy Admits Heroin Smuggling
LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputy has fallen from grace, admitting today to a brazen scheme to smuggle over a pound of heroin into a Santa Clarita Valley jail. Michael Meiser, 40, of Lancaster, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, a charge that could land him behind bars for decades.
According to court documents, Meiser, while stationed at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic, agreed to act as a mule for inmates seeking to score narcotics. The deal was simple: deliver the drugs in exchange for $1,500 via the Cash App digital wallet, and a further $15,000 in cash upon delivery. On April 24, 2024, a relative of Meiser received the initial $1,500 payment, a clear signal the operation was a go.
The exchange itself was a calculated risk. Meiser met with two women linked to an inmate at a Chevron station in Valencia. In plain sight, he accepted a plastic grocery bag containing two Pringles cans packed with approximately 511 grams (1.1 pounds) of heroin, along with the $15,000 payoff. The bag, stuffed with contraband and cash, was then transferred to Meiser’s green backpack, which also conveniently held his loaded handgun.
Meiser didn’t try to hide the contraband on his person. Instead, he brazenly transported the heroin and cash inside a fellow LASD deputy’s vehicle, parking it *inside* the jail’s security perimeter. He then stashed the Pringles cans under computer towers in the trunk of an LASD radio car, separating the $15,000 cash and placing it in his backpack. A brief meeting with an inmate confirmed the transfer was understood. It was a calculated risk that ultimately failed.
LASD investigators, alerted to the scheme, intercepted Meiser and the other deputy as they attempted to leave the jail. A search of the deputy’s truck revealed the green backpack containing the $15,000, Meiser’s loaded firearm, and his official LASD identification. The heroin-filled Pringles cans were discovered in the trunk of the radio car. The investigation was a joint effort between the FBI and the LASD’s Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau.
United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin has scheduled a sentencing hearing for December 11. Meiser faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison, with a potential maximum of 40 years. Assistant United States Attorney Thomas F. Rybarczyk of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section is prosecuting the case, aiming to deliver justice in this egregious breach of public trust.
Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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