14 Baja Police Officers Suspended for Allegedly Stealing 180 Kilos of Cocaine

Fourteen Baja California state police officers have been suspended and are under investigation for allegedly stealing 180 kilos of cocaine.

Laureano Carrillo Rodríguez, the state’s secretary of public safety, confirmed that the officers were officially suspended for using state vehicles and resources without authorization, calling it a “serious allegation.”

“We’re talking about organized delinquency, that’s the situation,” Carrillo Rodríguez said. “When something like this happens, there needs to be a suspension so the investigation is not compromised.”

The case surfaced after Zeta, a weekly Spanish news outlet in Tijuana, published details about the theft involving the officers. Surveillance footage reportedly shows four vehicles — three pickups among them — arriving at a street corner in Tijuana’s Colonia Ojo de Agua on Oct. 4 and taking the cocaine.

According to Zeta, the vehicles belong to the state’s public safety agency. The officers allegedly disabled tracking devices and used jamming technology to block cellphone and radio signals in the area. They are also accused of asking nearby businesses to delete security footage that could place them at the scene during the theft.

In a letter to Zeta, the suspended officers denied involvement, claiming the investigation relies solely on the article’s content and lacks concrete evidence.

Carrillo Rodríguez, however, rejected their claims, asserting that authorities have enough evidence linking the officers to the crime.

“All that’s been done is the application of the law,” he said. “We’re not going to take a step backwards. This is part of the investigation. We’ll release the evidence when agents legally request access to it.”

In addition to the internal review, the federal attorney general’s office in Baja California is conducting a parallel investigation into the theft and the missing cocaine.

“A complaint has been filed against the responsible parties,” Carrillo Rodríguez added. “The criminal investigation is in the hands of the attorney general, and charges will follow accordingly.”