Drug War Issues
In Fort Lauderdale, a Broward County sheriff's deputy was arrested Tuesday on multiple charges related to prescription drugs. Deputy Eduardo Mesa, 40, went down for a particularly ghoulish act of pill-grabbing.
The homicide detective saw a pill bottle at the crash scene labeled with the victim's name and marked as containing hydrocodone, but no pills were in the bottle. The detective checked with the crime lab and confirmed that no pills had been submitted.
The Public Corruption Unit then got a search warrant for Mesa's patrol car and found another prescription bottle containing hydrocodone, also labeled with the victim's name, as well as 26 Xanax pills.
Mesa has now been charged with one count each of armed trafficking in hydrocodone, possession of Alprazolam, grand theft of a controlled substance, tampering with evidence, and official misconduct/falsifying public or court records.
At last report, he had been suspended without pay and was being held without bond.
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Comments
sicntired
What exactly is the crime here?A guy was deceased and a cop took his medications for future possible need.There was no mention of any sales or even that any drugs were actually missing.Even if the cop actually intended to use the drugs it's mere possession.I have been an addict for 45 years and I take any prescription drugs I find.If I was ever caught with any of these drugs they would dispose of them and send me on my way.I understand a charge of improper storage of evidence or dereliction of duty but the charges leveled here are outrageous and are typical of the kind of anti drug hysteria that is one of the biggest faults in our society,today.Send the guy to rehab and let him be.There is no mention of being violent or unjust in any way.He just saw an opportunity that harmed no one and caused no one any problem.Until some gung ho anti drug zealot saw an opportunity to advance his career on the back of a fellow cop.I have no like for cops but this is a case of blowing up a building just to kill a cockroach.This time the cockroach won.
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