A South Florida man is behind bars after claiming to be a CIA agent during a traffic stop on New Year’s Day, only for police to uncover a stash of weapons, fake IDs, and even drugs inside his truck, authorities said.
Jorge Alberto Alfonso, 61, a local HVAC contractor, was driving a white Ford F-150 on I-75 with flashing red and blue lights when a Florida Highway Patrol trooper noticed something unusual. The trooper, who was watching traffic from the median, saw a woman in the passenger seat waving her arms and looking upset, according to an arrest report.
The trooper pulled over the truck and began explaining why he stopped Alfonso. But before he could finish, Alfonso interrupted, saying the flashing lights were “accidentally” triggered by his K9 in the backseat, the report says.
But the story didn’t add up. Alfonso handed over some strange IDs — one claiming he was part of a CIA Counter Terrorism Unit and another one from MI6, Britain’s secret service. The trooper, feeling something wasn’t right, started to dig deeper. For one, the ID photos showed Alfonso wearing a skullcap, which is not allowed for law enforcement IDs. The design of the IDs also didn’t match official federal standards. Instead of a badge, Alfonso had a challenge coin.
When the trooper questioned him further, Alfonso simply said he was “federal,” the report states. That’s when the red flags went up.
A search of the truck revealed even more troubling stuff: six guns, bulletproof vests, a bunch of fake federal badges, a handful of blank passports, and bottles of prescription pills with no labels. It seemed clear that Alfonso was up to something shady.
Authorities arrested Alfonso on charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer and possession of a controlled substance without a prescription. They also contacted the FBI, Border Patrol, and the Diplomatic Security Service, each of which launched their own investigations.
Alfonso was booked into the Collier County Jail and is facing felony and misdemeanor charges, according to The Independent. As of now, he doesn’t have a lawyer listed in court records. A call to his cell phone went straight to voicemail, and his business number was disconnected.
Alfonso’s company, Air-Source International, which specializes in HVAC services, claims to promote “honesty and integrity” on its website, but it seems Alfonso’s actions tell a different story. He is scheduled for arraignment on January 27.
