A former Los Angeles Police Department officer and registered sex offender was arrested for human smuggling while in possession of an unregistered firearm on Monday, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The former officer, whom the Border Patrol did not identify, was near San Diego when he was reported for suspected human smuggling just before 10 p.m., CBP said in a news release.
When a Border Patrol agent found the ex-officer, who had four people in the back of an older-model SUV, the driver proactively pulled over and presented the agent with “a badge similar in appearance and style to a Los Angeles Police Department badge,” the release said.
The former cop told the CBP agent that he is an LAPD lieutenant, but the four people in the back of the SUV — three women and a man — admitted to the agent that they illegally crossed into the U.S. from Mexico.
“Record checks revealed that the driver is a former Los Angeles Police Department officer who separated from service in 1993, the same year he was convicted for forceful rape, a crime for which he was sentenced to three years in prison,” authorities said in a news release.
During a search of the vehicle, agents also found an unserialized 9mm handgun, often called a “ghost gun” because of its untraceable nature. They also found two fully loaded magazines and a shoulder holster.
“The driver, firearm, and vehicle were turned over to San Diego Sheriff’s Office for further processing,” the release said. “The smuggled migrants were processed for removal.”
To report suspicious activity in Southern California to the U.S. Border Patrol, contact the San Diego Sector at 619-498-9900.