The New Braunfels (Texas) Police Department is rolling out the sleekest member of its vehicle fleet: a seized 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 named "Coptimus Prime" that previously belonged to a San Antonio-based drug trafficker with Mexican cartel ties.
Texas Agency Seizes Corvette Z06 from Drug Dealer, Renames It "Coptimus Prime"
New Braunfels PD was awarded the sports car under a federal program that allows police departments to repurpose assets seized in criminal investigations.
September 24, 2015
This Corvette Z06 was seized from a convicted drug dealer and awarded to the New Braunfels PD. (Photo: Facebook)
Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Comal County Metro Narcotics Task Force, which includes the police department, seized the Corvette during a 2011 raid on a methamphetamine trafficking cell linked to the Mexican drug cartel La Familia Michoacana.
New Braunfels PD was awarded the sports car under a federal program that allows police departments to repurpose assets seized in criminal investigations.
Despite the vehicle's ability to reach top speeds of more than 190 mph according to TopSpeed.com , the Corvette won't be used as a patrol car, department spokesperson David Ferguson told mySA.com during a phone interview Wednesday. The sports car is too high profile for patrol use or undercover work, he said.
That doesn't mean the department won't show it off: the Corvette has been wrapped to look like a police patrol unit and will be used as a community outreach tool at school functions and local parades as a means to drum up youth interest in law enforcement.