Arizona Police Officer Charged With Theft From Drug Dealers

A Phoenix officer is facing felony charges for allegedly stealing from drug dealers. The story details the allegations against James Wren, 23, of suspicion of conspiracy, attempted theft, attempted money laundering and aiding a criminal syndicate.


Wren is accused of taking nearly $40,000 in drug cash since 2008. He resigned after reportedly admitting to some of the allegations. He is accused of working with non-officers in the scheme.

It appears that police orchestrated a sting at a traffic stop with $40,000 in drug money. Wren became suspicious during the stop and broke away — driving to the precinct station where he was arrested.

Wren comes from a law enforcement family. His father is a retired Phoenix police sergeant and has three other family members employed by the department.

18 thoughts on “Arizona Police Officer Charged With Theft From Drug Dealers”

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  2. mespo,

    At least at common law, larceny is not a matter of lawful possession, but of superior possession. For instance, if you steal something, you aren’t in lawful possession of it, but you have a superior possessory interest versus everyone but the legitimate owner, so someone else who steals the same thing from you, is still guilty of theft. The same logic applies to contraband.

  3. James M:

    “He took it from someone with a superior possessory interest”

    ******************

    I thought no one could lawfully possess contraband. So I guess the question is: Who possesses that which cannot lawfully be possessed?

  4. If the cash is from drug deals, and is thus contraband, can Wren be said to have larcened it since he was not taking it from one lawfully in possession of the cash?

  5. Going to Austin again this week unless somehow we end up in Ann Arbor.

  6. Try Cowboy Bar-B-Que. Its on the West side of 35. Its a Hole in the wall. But dang good. The peppered Beef Jerky is wonderful as well.

    It has had such people as Paul Newman, Charles Bronson, Reba Mc and hundreds of others stop in. Pictures are all over. As I said it is a Hole in the Wall….

  7. Drive down 35 for three hours and you are in a totally different world from DFW.

  8. He was in the wrong state at the wrong time. He should have tried working in Chicago, New York City, Houston, Dallas, Laredo, Juarez or Detroit. I am sure the list is endless

    He could have had side jobs as hit men.

    I remember in college and a bud of mine got stopped for a DWI and had about half a pound of weed. For some reason the weed disappeared and so did the DWI as the BAC test could not be located.

    You just gotta love Austin….

  9. John:
    This just proves that you can’t believe your “lying” eyes or ears.

  10. And yet cops can abuse citizens and they will always take the word of the cop over their victim. Sometimes even when there’s video.

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