Episode Details

When California legalized marijuana in 2017, Baldwin Park council member Ricardo Pacheco saw a golden opportunity—until prosecutors revealed it was a corrupt scheme. Allegedly taking bribes from cannabis businesses, he even had $62,000 hidden in his backyard. Wearing a wire, he helped unravel a sprawling network that led to over 20 arrests, including former Compton councilman Isaac Galvan. Both received 18 months for bribery, with Pacheco returning nearly $220K and Galvan facing $323K in restitution. Caught on camera accepting cash and political donations for a police contract vote, Pacheco became an informant, exposing officials, a city attorney, a manager, and a distributor—all tangled in this pot-powered corruption web. Investigations are still rolling out across other cities.

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