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Ex-LA deputy gets 67 months for smuggling heroin in Pringles cans

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Michael Meiser agreed to bring approximately 1.1 pounds of narcotics, estimated to be worth $226,000 behind bars, into the North County Correctional Facility in exchange for $16,500. After collecting the illicit delivery at a Valencia gas station, he concealed the contraband in the trunk of a patrol vehicle beneath computer towers. Investigators stopped Meiser and a colleague as they departed the complex, seizing the concealed shipment, cash bribes, and his loaded duty firearm. The operation subsequently prompted internal scrutiny into how correctional deputies frequently negotiated with incarcerated gang leaders to mitigate violence.

Key points

  • The prosecution concluded an extensive joint investigation conducted by the FBI and the L…: The prosecution concluded an extensive joint investigation conducted by the FBI and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Internal Criminal Investigations Bureau.
  • Corrupt staff actions compromised security protocols at the North County Correctional Fac…: Corrupt staff actions compromised security protocols at the North County Correctional Facility despite the deputy's assignment to an anti-gang intelligence unit.
  • Internal records revealed pervasive gang influence inside the facility, including instanc…: Internal records revealed pervasive gang influence inside the facility, including instances where working deputies negotiated terms directly with inmate leaders.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

A former Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for attempting to smuggle approximately 1.1 pounds of heroin, worth an estimated $226,000, into a California jail concealed inside two Pringles potato chip cans.

According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Michael Meiser, 40, was sentenced to 67 months in federal prison by US District Judge Fernando M. Olguin on November 5. Meiser had pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic, California.

Federal prosecutors said Meiser was working as a Sheriff's deputy at the facility, where he was assigned to an intelligence and investigative unit monitoring gang activity. According to the DOJ, he had agreed with inmates to smuggle narcotics into the jail in exchange for cash and payments through the Cash App digital wallet.

Deputy allegedly received $16,500 for smuggling heroin

According to the DOJ's account of the case, one of Meiser's relatives received $1,500 through Cash App on April 24, 2024, from an…

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