By: Eye On Inglewood Staff Writer
August 28, 2024
Inglewood , CA - John Abel Baca, a former officer with the Inglewood Police Department (IPD), was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for distributing cocaine while on duty. The 47-year-old Baca pleaded guilty to the charges on October 17th, 2022.
According to court documents, Baca abused his position of trust as a police officer by stealing drugs from the IPD's evidence locker and selling them. Prosecutors stated that on April 29th, 2021, Baca delivered cocaine to a witness who was cooperating with law enforcement. The following week, he met with the same witness and provided 2.2 pounds of cocaine in exchange for $22,000 in cash.
In Baca's plea agreement, he admitted that he had previously offered to sell the cooperating witness 2.2 pounds of cocaine, 4.4 pounds of white heroin, and an unlimited supply of black tar heroin. Baca claimed he had stolen these drugs and cash during routine traffic stops while working on a drug task force with the department.
In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge James Selna ordered Baca to pay a $40,000 fine. All of Baca's cases during his tenure with the Inglewood Police Department should be reviewed due to the breach of trust and illegal activities uncovered in this investigation.
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