The federal government has charged the executive head of a California police union of operating a narcotics ring out of her home office. A member of the San Jose Police Officers Association since 2003, Joanne Marian Segovia was recently arrested for attempting to illegally import the synthetic drug Valeryl fentanyl. If found guilty, the 64-year-old faces up to 20 years in a federal penitentiary.
The 13-page indictment alleges that Segovia ordered and distributed opioids and other pharmaceuticals via her workplace computer and UPS account, including lethal synthetic opioids and Tapentadol. Food supplements, wedding party favors, cosmetics, chocolates, and other things from China, Canada, and India were shipped in disguise.
While looking into an Indian narcotics network that was allegedly shipping drugs to the United States, Homeland Security agents stumbled onto what they believe to be Segovia’s drug business. The accusation states that investigators uncovered network messages with the names “J Segovia” and “180 pills SOMA 500mg,” along with an address in San Jose.
The prosecution claims that Segovia had an internet discussion with an Indian phone number between January 2020 and March 2023. Segovia allegedly apologized for his absence on May 2, 2022, writing, “im so sorry, im on a business trip because we had 2 officers that got shot!” As soon as I get back to my house tomorrow night, I’m going shopping for them.
The complaint claims that Segovia used the San Jose Police Officers’ Association UPS account to send a package to a woman in North Carolina and then photographed the delivery. The head of the police union, Sean Pritchard, was taken aback by the charges and said she had coordinated fundraisers for the children of officers with the families of the officers who had been killed in the line of duty.
Authorities do not think Segovia had a career in frontline law enforcement, despite her job history with the San Jose Police Officers Association. Segovia allegedly continued placing narcotics orders after being interrogated by police in February 2023. On March 13, 2023, she was taken into custody after officials from Homeland Security intercepted a package with her name and address on the return label. The box, which investigators say originated in China, was labeled as having a “clock” inside.
San Jose’s mayor, Matt Mahan, expressed gratitude to U.S. Attorney Ramsey and his team for looking into where the city’s fentanyl came from and emphasized the need to hold drug traffickers accountable. The allegations are alarming, and police in San Francisco are keeping a cautious eye on the issue.
