OAN Brooke Mallory
UPDATED 4:20 PM – Thursday, March 30, 2023
Authorities announced on Wednesday that a San Jose Police Officers Association (POA) executive has been accused of plotting to import fentanyl and distribute it across the country.
According to a court complaint, Joanne Segovia, 64, is accused of having at least 61 shipments sent to her residence from nations such as China, Hungary, India, and Singapore.
The labels for the shipments were titled as “Wedding Party Gifts,” “Gift Cosmetics,” or “Chocolate and Sweets.”
In five of these shipments that were seized by police starting in January 2019, thousands of dollars’ worth of tablets, including the synthetic opioids Tramadol and Tapentadol, were also discovered.
Segovia allegedly planned the logistics for receiving and sending the goods using her home and work computers, as well as encrypted WhatsApp communications.
WhatsApp is an internationally available freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging and voice-over-IP service owned by U.S. tech conglomerate Meta. It allows users to send text and voice messages, make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, and other content.
According to officials, she also sent a package using the San Jose Police Association’s UPS account.
Segovia continued to order controlled substances after being questioned by federal investigators in February, according to the complaint.
One package containing valeryl fentanyl, which is thought to have originated from China and was labeled as a “clock,” was seized by federal investigators in Kentucky earlier this month.
“Last Friday we were informed by federal authorities that one of our civilian employees was under investigation for distribution of a controlled substance and the POA has been fully and completely cooperating with the federal authorities as they continue their investigation,” said San Jose Police Association spokesman Tom Saggau.
The Board of Directors said they were disturbed and disappointed by this information, and that they have vowed to support the authorities conducting the investigation wholeheartedly.
Segovia could receive a 20-year prison term and a fine of up to $250,000.
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