Tomas Muñoz, a Hialeah, Florida police sergeant, was arrested Saturday after he was allegedly found with cocaine in his possession, news sources report. It is currently unclear how Muñoz acquired the cocaine or if he planned to distribute it. Muñoz, 41, was booked into the Miami-Dade County Jail on charges of possession of cocaine and possession drug paraphernalia. It is unclear whether he qualified for bail bond. Reports did not list an attorney for Muñoz.
According to reports, Muñoz began working for the Hialeah Police Department in 1998. Sources say he has been working as a frontrunner for street patrol unit in the city's Sector 1. That area of the city is mostly impoverished, reports say.
The Hialeah department's Internal Affairs Bureau had been investigating Muñoz for the past month. "[Muñoz's] arrest this morning is the culmination of an investigation that began several weeks ago," a spokesperson for the department told the press. The department has since suspended Muñoz and has not said whether he will be able to return to work while he awaits trial.
Reports have so far been unable to provide any details regarding the investigation that led to Muñoz's arrest. Sources say the Miami-Dade County Police Department helped in the arrest and may have assisted in the internal investigation. So far, it is unclear whether Muñoz acquired the cocaine by confiscating it, purchasing it, or via some other means.
Muñoz was not the only person arrested in South Florida for possessing cocaine this past month. Mechelle Tondeleah Clarke of the Bahamas was arrested in Palm Beach County after she was accused of bringing over 2 kilograms of cocaine into the county, reports say. Clarke was booked into police custody on charges of possession with intent to distribute in excess of 500 grams of a mixture containing cocaine. It is unclear whether she qualified for bail or hired legal representation.
According to reports, Clarke was entering Palm Beach County though the Port of Palm Beach after departing a Celebration Cruise Line ship. Sources say Clarke lives in the Bahamas. While going through security, Clarke passed her suitcase to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. The agents inspected the baggage and allegedly found a secret compartment. Inside the compartment, the agents reportedly found a gift-wrapped package holding 2.25 kilograms of an unknown substance. Testing later showed that the substance contained cocaine.