A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy has entered a guilty plea for charges related to heroin possession and a scheme to smuggle the drug into a county jail. Michael Meiser, 40, has reportedly admitted to attempting to bring over a pound of the controlled substance inside the jail facility.
According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office and obtained by justice.gov, in April 2024, Meiser arranged with inmates at the North County Correctional Facility to sneak narcotics inside. He would subsequently be paid through cash handoffs and digital transactions. This admission came as part of a plea agreement wherein Meiser pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin.
Details of the case, as highlighted by CBS News, reveal that Meiser met with two women at a gas station in Valencia, one of whom had connections to a jail inmate. He received a plastic grocery bag from them, which contained two Pringles cans holding approximately 511 grams of heroin, and envelopes with $15,000 in cash, his alleged payment for the smuggling.
The report goes on to explain that Meiser placed the heroin-filled Pringles cans in his green backpack. He then travelled in a fellow deputy's truck to the prison complex. At the end of his shift, LASD investigators stopped Meiser and the other deputy. A search of the car led to the discovery of the backpack containing $15,000 in cash, Meiser’s loaded handgun, badge, and LASD identification. They subsequently also found the Pringles cans with heroin.
Federal prison awaits Meiser with a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a potential maximum of 40 years. The sentencing hearing, as scheduled by United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin, is set for December 11. The case has been forwarded to Assistant United States Attorney Thomas F. Rybarczyk of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section for prosecution.
