Arizona border patrol agent caught stealing pot

(Arizona-NBC) March 29, 2007 - He was supposed to guard the marijuana. Instead, one Arizona border patrol agent took 20 pounds of it for himself.

Unfortunately, for him, the theft was caught on a dashboard camera.

It was December 2005 and the border patrol agent was supposed to be guarding a truck loaded with marijuana.

Instead, the video shows him looking around and helping himself to a 20 pound bundle.

"You can't deny the embarrassment that comes along with looking at that video tape," Border Patrol spokesman Rob Daniels said.

Michael Carlos Gonzalez didn't realize the camera was rolling and he was being videotaped as he violated the oath of office he swore to uphold.

"Its almost unimaginable that you see someone looking right straight at the camera, a dash cam on the DPS vehicle. Have the person take the bundle of marijuana, put it into a service vehicle back seat and clearly put it into the trunk," Daniels said.

Gonzalez called in sick the following day. Investigators say he flew to California and the bundle was never seen again.

When the videotape came to light, he resigned.

"He is no longer with us and that's a good thing for taxpayers as well as for those who used to be his coworkers," according to Daniels.

Gonzalez is now behind bars, just like the criminals he arrested while on the job.

Gonzalez was convicted last Monday and will be sentenced June 26th.

Because Gonzales was in uniform and had his service weapon during the crime, he faces a minimum sentence of five years to life in prison.

Posted 3:06pm by Bryce Mursch