New York Cop Caught Selling Marijuana Out Of Wellness Business Arrested

An off-duty NYPD officer was arrested Monday after she was caught selling drugs to an investigator through her side business in Brooklyn.

Police arrested 31-year-old Catherine Soto in the 48th precinct in the Bronx after an arrest warrant was obtained by the Brooklyn district attorney's office, New York Daily News reported. The outlet, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, said Soto was caught during an "integrity test" after someone complained about another person selling drugs from her home.

Investigators discovered Soto operated a wellness business, with a boutique located on the third floor of a building on Bedford Avenue in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

Through her boutique, Soto allegedly sold marijuana and a small amount of painkillers to an Internal Affairs Bureau investigator in November and December last year, sources said.

She was arrested and charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal sale of marijuana, official misconduct, criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana.

New York became the 16th state to legalize marijuana for recreational use on March 31, allowing New Yorkers to possess limited amounts of the drug as well to smoke cannabis in public places where tobacco smoking is also permitted. The new laws, however, still do not allow for the sale of marijuana.

Prior to the arrest, Soto had been serving in the NYPD for three years. According to the NYPD's public records, Soto joined the force as a police officer in January 2018. She was then assigned to the Special Victims Division in November 2020.

Soto may have been an NYPD employee before becoming an officer as there are training records going back to Nov. 9, 2015.

An NYPD spokesman said Soto was suspended without pay following the arrest.

Just last week, another off-duty NYPD officer was arrested after investigators found child porn on his phone.

Mitchell Emile, 28, was arrested by his fellow officers when an Internal Affairs Bureau investigation led authorities to discover two videos depicting young boys in sexual situations on the officer's phone. He was released without bail.