ORANGE COVE – The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office arrested an evidence technician with the Orange Cove Police Department believed to be connected to the theft of money seized from a suspected drug dealer.
Marcos Puga, 40, admitted to taking nearly $3,000 of the $10,658 that was seized from a man during a federal Drug Enforcement Agency undercover sting.
The suspected drug dealer, 21-year-old Jorge Moreno, was arrested on July 10 on domestic violence charges. During the arrest, a firearm and the money were seized.
The next month, a DEA agent called the Orange Cove police to inform them that the DEA was investigating Moreno. The OC officers allowed the DEA to examine the cash taken from Moreno to see if it was possibly used in drug buys. That’s when it was discovered that $2,940 was missing.
By the time Pugo was caught, he had already spent $1,700 of the cash.
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