Florida Cop Charged With Planting Drugs On Man In Return For “Sexual Favors And Trip To Europe” [VIDEO]

The Washington Post reports:

A real estate broker was leaving the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant in Fort Myers, Fla., when a sheriff’s deputy pulled him over for an alleged traffic violation. The Dec. 16 stop escalated when Deputy Niko Irizarry, with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, said he suspected there were illegal substances in the car.

With the help of drug-sniffing dogs, law enforcement found more than 50 bags of opioids, methamphetamines and other pills, police records show. Irizarry arrested the real estate broker and allegedly signed an affidavit stating he had witnessed the man putting the drugs in his car.

But the sheriff’s office now says the arrest was a setup. Irizarry, 25, was fired and charged with felony misconduct, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno announced on Friday. The deputy, investigators said, had made a deal with a friend to arrest the victim in exchange for sexual favors and a trip to Europe.

The Orlando Sentinel reports:

Investigators said Charles Custodio, 37, had a vendetta against the victim and promised Irizarry he would provide the trip and would arrange for the sex if he made the arrest. Custodio then had a third man, Scott Snider, pose as a real estate agent and plant drugs in the person’s car, investigators said.

Custodio then told Irizarry where he could find the victim. Investigators say Irizarry then performed a traffic stop and arrested the victim on drug charges. Custodio and Snider, 29, were arrested for trafficking in fentanyl, possession of a controlled substance, and conspiracy.

Hit the first link above for a detailed breakdown of the alleged convoluted plot. It’s not clear from reports exactly who was to provide the “sexual favors.”