Federal authorities have accused the California police union’s executive director of running a drug operation out of her home. She used her UPS account and office computer to purchase and distribute opioids and other drugs as well.
Joanne Marian Segovia was an employee of the San Jose Police Officers Association (since 2003) and was charged with trying to illegally bring in Valeryl fentanyl, a synthetic opioid. She could spend up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The President of the San Jose Police Officers Association expressed shock at Segovia’s charges. Segovia was the union’s executive director for many years.
Sean Pritchard, President of the Police Union, said that she has been the grandma for the POA. “This isn’t the person we know, this is not the person who has helped fallen officers’ families and organized fundraisers for their kids. It’s not someone we’ve known for a decade.”
He said, “We have some of the most hardworking, most dedicated, and committed officers you will ever see,” he added. “This does not reflect who they are as individuals or what they do for the community. It also doesn’t reflect what they stand for as professionals.”
Segovia, according to the Justice Department would import packages containing drugs inside.
Segovia was accused of having at least 61 shipments sent to her home between October 2015, and January 2023. These shipments were from India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Hungary, India, and Singapore. These shipments were identified with labels such as “Wedding Party Favors”, “Gift Makeup,” and “Chocolate and Sweets.” However, between July 2019 and January 20,23, officials intercepted five of the shipments and discovered that they contained thousands upon thousands of pills of controlled substances. Some parcels contained thousands of pills of controlled substances, some valued at thousands of dollars.
DOJ claims that Segovia also used her POA position to manage her drug trafficking operations.
Segovia is also accused of using encrypted WhatsApp communications to plan logistics for sending and receiving pill shipments. The complaint states that Segovia exchanged hundreds of messages over three years, from January 2020 to March 2023. The messages included hundreds of images of tablets, shipping labels, and packaging as well as payment receipts and confirmations.
Segovia is accused of using her San Jose Police Officers Association office to distribute controlled substances. Segovia was instructed by a supplier in the spring of 2021 to mail a package to a North Carolina woman. Segovia sent the supplier a photo of a shipment using the UPS account at the San Jose Police Officers Association.
Matt Mahan, the Mayor of San Jose, described the allegation as “incredibly disturbing”.
He said that it was an “incredibly disturbing allegation.” “I would like to thank US Attorney [Ismail] Ramsey, and his colleagues, for their aggressive pursuit of the sources of fentanyl entering our communities and holding drug dealers responsible.”
Fentanyl’s prevalence is widely recognized as one of America’s most pressing social problems. The country reported a 15% increase in deaths between 2021 and 2022. A large amount of this fentanyl is imported through the southern border. This was confirmed by a Congressional testimony that revealed how the drug was seized by authorities in three months and was sufficient to kill five times the U.S. populace.
