San Diego’s political establishment has been rocked by the arrest of a high‑ranking city official accused of helping run a sprawling $180 million cocaine and gold trafficking scheme that prosecutors say reached from local council chambers to cartel strongholds in Latin America.

The official, whose name appears on downtown plaques and ribbon‑cutting photos, was taken into custody at his office after a year‑long undercover probe led by the FBI, DEA and DHS Homeland Security Investigations. Agents simultaneously raided port warehouses, a customs brokerage firm and two suburban homes, seizing hundreds of kilos of cocaine, stacks of cash and gold bars stamped with foreign refinery marks.

According to the indictment, the official allegedly used insider access to manipulate port permits, steer security contracts and flag “low‑risk” containers for minimal inspection. In return, investigators say, he collected kickbacks laundered through consulting fees, real‑estate deals and a charitable foundation celebrated for funding youth programs.

The network’s playbook was brutally efficient: cocaine moved north hidden in shipments of produce and building materials, while illicit profits flowed back south as bulk cash and undeclared gold routed through free‑trade zones. Investigators claim the official’s signature appeared on key policy memos that quietly weakened oversight just as the pipeline scaled up.

Residents who once saw him as a champion of “clean government” watched in disbelief as he was led away in handcuffs. Ethics groups are demanding a full audit of every contract and vote he touched, warning that the case may expose not just one corrupt official, but a system that let cartel money buy influence inside City Hall.