Suspect, marijuana get away in Pinal drug sting

A Pinal County drug sting fell apart this week in Casa Grande, leaving a suspect on the run and 75 pounds of marijuana missing from the trunk of a stolen police vehicle, according to sheriff's office booking records.

The street value of the marijuana is up to $100,000, according to federal estimates.

Click to view a map of the sting operation

The sting on Wednesday was the result of a monthlong undercover narcotics investigation in Casa Grande. Undercover Pinal County officers agreed to trade a Hummer vehicle for 75 pounds of marijuana they possessed from a prior drug seizure, according to a report in the booking records.

But the deal went sour around 5 p.m. at Promenade Mall near Interstate 10 and Florence Boulevard.

Officers from the drug task force planned to meet Miguel Rodriguez in a parking lot near the mall, according to court records. Rodriguez was joined by four other men, one who was driving the Hummer and three who pulled up in a Ford F-150 truck.

The unknown man whom sheriff's deputies are now tracking took the keys for the undercover police vehicle, a Nissan Maxima, with the marijuana in the trunk. A SWAT team was waiting to make the sting during the transfer of the vehicles, according to records.

During the transaction, an undercover officer signaled the SWAT team, but the man got into the car and drove away before the SWAT team could apprehend him. The remaining four men fled in the F-150 truck and were arrested after a short chase down state Route 287.

Jeff Kirkham, Pinal County Sheriff's Office chief deputy, said that such failed stings are rare. He played down the effect of the amount of marijuana that is now on local streets.

"Obviously, any amount of narcotics on the street is a concern," Kirkham said. "It's still a very small amount that we haven't recovered."

The four men in custody, Rodriguez, Jose Orozco Jr., Carlos Orozco and Jose Orozco Sr., were booked into the Pinal County Adult Detention Center on suspicion of offenses including possession and transportation of marijuana for sale and theft as a means of transportation, according to court records.

The unknown man is still at large. Reports said that Rodriguez is being held without bail, and the others on $50,000 bail each, according to court records.

Kirkham said the undercover police car was later recovered in Eloy, but would not say whether it was equipped with a tracking device.

Detective Marysol Larrison of the Phoenix Police Department said undercover cars used in SWAT operations are typically equipped with a tracking system.