A New York police officer who was also allegedly a bodyguard for the wife of a notorious Mexican drug lord known as "El Chapo" has been nabbed for allegedly dealing cocaine as well as providing cover for other dealers in Queens, law enforcement sources told the New York Post.
NYPD officer Ishmael Bailey’s arrest came Wednesday, with the 36 year-old charged with conspiracy and the sale of a controlled substance for purportedly acting as a security man twice when a sizeable amount of the illegal drug was transported around Queens.
The man was arrested after a check by the NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau and the Queens District Attorney’s office, indicted him on charges of possession of a controlled substance, official misconduct and receiving bribes.
Bailey was alleged to have combined his stint as security guard for the drug kingpin’s wife Emma Coronel Aispuro with his job in the police.
One video shows Bailey wearing a dark suit and sunglasses escorting the woman to her husband’s sentencing in a Brooklyn federal court in July, the sources detailed to the Post. However, it is unclear yet who paid him for the trial security services, with the IAB saying it had started probing the officer as soon as he appeared beside Aispuro.
After the charges, a judge ordered Bailey to be held on $50,000 bond and $25,000 cash bail.
In one of the instances that are covered in the prosecutors’ statement, on 27 August, the 12-year police veteran met with an undercover cop agreeing to provide security during the transfer of cocaine around the borough, and then saw the same "dealer" in Astoria where he held open a black and red bag as three packages, one a kilo of cocaine and two fakes, were put inside. He was given $2,500 in cash for transporting the bag to an agreed parking lot, where he handed it over to the undercover officer. In another later episode, he was granted a hefty sum of $10,000 as he allegedly agreed to assist with the logistics of two kilos of cocaine.
If convicted, the NYPD officer could face up to 15 years in jail.
