HUNTINGTON PARK -- Authorities say a Huntington Park Police officer, once a member of a federal drug trafficking task force, has been convicted of conspiring to steal drugs from dealers.
Sergeant Alvaro Murillo, 45, of West Covina, was found guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles of two drug conspiracies, one count of extortion and one count of submitting a false tax return, according to a news release from United States Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien.
The charges stem from the thefts of cocaine and methamphetamine from at least 2002 through 2006, the release stated.
A second man indicted in the case, 40-year-old Alberto Del Real-Gallardo, of Palmdale, pleaded guilty last year to a drug conspiracy charge, the release stated.
Investigators say Del Real was an informant for Murillo and participated in drug thefts that were later sold for profit.
Murillo worked with Del Real and other informants, who sometimes called themselves the "black tactic group" to identify drug dealers from whom they could steal narcotics, the document stated.
Investigators say Murillo checked law enforcement databases to obtain information about the dealer and to make sure there were no legitimate investigations into the target before planning the thefts. Del Real and the others would trick the drug dealer into turning over narcotics, or cause them to leave without payment, officials said.
Murillo and others involved would then allegedly arrange to store and sell the stolen drugs.
The thefts included five kilograms of cocaine in November 2002 and four pounds of methamphetamine in 2006.
Murillo also attempted to steal cocaine from an undercover DEA agent who was posing as a drug trafficker, the release stated.
“Sergeant Murillo was a corrupt law enforcement officer who used his specialized knowledge to line his pockets with money made by selling illegal drugs,” said United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien. “Crimes that involve a violation of the public’s trust are among the most important cases prosecuted by my office. Because of the seriousness of Murillo’s conduct, he now faces at least a decade in federal prison.”
Murillo, who was suspended by the Huntington Park Police Department in 2006, faces a minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison.
Del Real faces a possible life sentence.
Sergeant Alvaro Murillo, 45, of West Covina, was found guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles of two drug conspiracies, one count of extortion and one count of submitting a false tax return, according to a news release from United States Attorney Thomas P. O'Brien.
The charges stem from the thefts of cocaine and methamphetamine from at least 2002 through 2006, the release stated.
A second man indicted in the case, 40-year-old Alberto Del Real-Gallardo, of Palmdale, pleaded guilty last year to a drug conspiracy charge, the release stated.
Investigators say Del Real was an informant for Murillo and participated in drug thefts that were later sold for profit.
Murillo worked with Del Real and other informants, who sometimes called themselves the "black tactic group" to identify drug dealers from whom they could steal narcotics, the document stated.
Investigators say Murillo checked law enforcement databases to obtain information about the dealer and to make sure there were no legitimate investigations into the target before planning the thefts. Del Real and the others would trick the drug dealer into turning over narcotics, or cause them to leave without payment, officials said.
Murillo and others involved would then allegedly arrange to store and sell the stolen drugs.
The thefts included five kilograms of cocaine in November 2002 and four pounds of methamphetamine in 2006.
Murillo also attempted to steal cocaine from an undercover DEA agent who was posing as a drug trafficker, the release stated.
“Sergeant Murillo was a corrupt law enforcement officer who used his specialized knowledge to line his pockets with money made by selling illegal drugs,” said United States Attorney Thomas P. O’Brien. “Crimes that involve a violation of the public’s trust are among the most important cases prosecuted by my office. Because of the seriousness of Murillo’s conduct, he now faces at least a decade in federal prison.”
Murillo, who was suspended by the Huntington Park Police Department in 2006, faces a minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison.
Del Real faces a possible life sentence.
