‘The crack is not for me ... it’s for my wife’: Sweetwater cop arrested on drug charges

A Sweetwater police officer has been arrested after authorities said he bought crack cocaine from a dealer in South Miami-Dade.

Police say Christopher Heredia, 25, bought the cocaine during a “hand-to-hand transaction” in the parking lot of a Walgreens on Southwest 114th Avenue and Quail Roost Drive on Thursday afternoon.

As Miami-Dade detectives pulled him over, Heredia appeared to tried to hide the drugs. He told the detectives he was a “P.O.” – shorthand for police officer.

“The crack is not for me, it’s for my wife,” Heredia blurted out, according to his arrest report.

Heredia is charged with purchasing cocaine, possessing a controlled substance and possessing drug paraphernalia.

Even before his arrest, Heredia had been relieved of duty from his job at Sweetwater. He is the second police officer from the small West Miami-Dade town to be arrested in recent months.

In February, state prosecutors charged Detective Octavio Oliu with official misconduct for allegedly using a stolen license plate to shirk SunPass tolls. He has pleaded not guilty.

Another officer, Remy Garcia, has been relieved of duty. Federal authorities are still investigating Garcia, Oliu and civilian red-light camera monitor Richard Brenner. According to sources, Brenner was suspended from Sweetwater because he was working as a police officer, including making arrests, without being a sworn member of the department.

This story was originally published April 17, 2015 at 10:07 AM with the headline "‘The crack is not for me ... it’s for my wife’: Sweetwater cop arrested on drug charges."