A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge, admitting he attempted to smuggle over a pound of heroin into a jail facility in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Michael Meiser, 40, of Lancaster, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin. The charge stems from an April 2024 incident in which Meiser, then working as a deputy at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic, coordinated with inmates to bring drugs into the jail in exchange for cash payments—including through the Cash App digital wallet.
Federal prosecutors say Meiser accepted $1,500 sent to a relative by someone connected to an inmate on April 24. Six days later, he drove to a gas station in Valencia and retrieved a plastic grocery bag from a woman linked to the same inmate. Inside the bag were two Pringles cans packed with approximately 511 grams (1.1 pounds) of heroin, along with $15,000 in cash—his alleged payment for the drug delivery.
According to court documents, Meiser placed the items into a green backpack, which also contained his loaded handgun, and drove to an LASD colleague’s apartment complex. He then entered the colleague’s truck and traveled to the Castaic jail.
Once past the security checkpoint, Meiser placed the Pringles cans in the trunk of an LASD radio car, hiding them beneath computer towers. He removed the cash and placed it in his backpack before heading to the jail’s gym with the other deputy.
Later that day, Meiser met with an inmate involved in the smuggling operation and spoke with him for several minutes, court documents state. As Meiser left the jail in the passenger seat of the same truck, LASD investigators stopped the vehicle.
A search of the truck turned up his backpack, which contained the $15,000, his handgun, badge and department ID. Investigators also searched the radio car and discovered the two heroin-containing Pringles canisters.
Meiser is among 18 people indicted in a larger smuggling scheme linked to the Mexican Mafia, according to an L.A. Times report. Half of those indicted were already incarcerated, while others, including Meiser, were civilians.
Authorities say he worked with key jail shot-callers and used coded language and apps like Cash App to coordinate drug transactions. In surveillance footage prior to his arrest, Meiser was seen passing a bag and bedroll to one of the indicted inmates, Jackie Triplett.
U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin has scheduled Meiser’s sentencing for Dec. 11. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.
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