Over A Dozen Law Enforcement Officers – Including Two Sheriffs – Accused Of Taking Bribes From Cartels To Move Drugs Through The United States
By Danielle
In what officials called “a monumental betrayal of public trust,” more than a dozen law enforcement officers are among 20 defendants charged in Mississippi and Tennessee for an alleged drug trafficking bribery scheme.
The federal indictment alleges the defendants, which includes two sheriffs, of accepting bribes from FBI agents posing as drug cartel members to facilitate the passage of illicit drugs through the Mississippi Delta region.
Federal officials initiated a years-long investigation after hearing complaints from real drug traffickers about having to pay bribes to law enforcement officers.
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According to indictments, the co-conspirators received bribes to provide safe passage for FBI agents posing as drug cartel members through counties along Highway 61 into Memphis.
Bribes ranged from $1,500 to more than tens of thousands.
Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston, meanwhile, received “multiple monetary payments for his blessing for the cartel to operate in his county and use his deputies to protect the cartel’s illegal drug trafficking.”
The indictment goes on to state that Gaston “attempted to have those monetary payments disguised as ‘campaign contributions,’ but did not report them as required by law.”
Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams also was said to have given his blessing for undercover FBI agents posing as Mexican cartel members to transport drugs and drug proceeds through his county.