Long Beach Officer Pleads Guilty to Drug Possession
A veteran Long Beach police officer accused of stealing drugs from an undercover state narcotics agent pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to possessing six kilograms of cocaine with intent to distribute them.
Julio A. Alcaraz, 36, who joined the department in 1989, faces a prison term that could range from 10 years to life. Sentencing is scheduled for June 23.
The guilty plea was in connection with an incident Jan. 26. Court papers said that while on duty that night in a marked Long Beach police cruiser, Alcaraz met an agent for the California Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, who was posing as a drug trafficker, in a parking lot on Santa Fe Avenue.
Alcaraz admitted in court papers that he drew his service weapon on the agent, took a bag containing the cocaine and gave it to co-defendant Ismael Rodriquez, 35, of Compton, at another parking lot.
Rodriquez drove away but was arrested by other officers after a high-speed chase. Facing a term of 40 years to life without parole, he is scheduled to go on trial April 4.
Alcaraz pleaded guilty to one of five counts on which he was indicted.
The plea agreement requires the U.S. attorney’s office to dismiss the other counts.
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