Former Officer Edmond Burke Accused of Selling Cocaine

The former Prichard police officer accused of selling cocaine and using his badge as a shield job has been indicted by a grand jury on drug charges.

Edmond Kennies Burke, 34, was arrested late Wednesday after being indicted on charges of trafficking and possessing cocaine, as well as possession of marijuana, stemming from an Aug. 2 sting operation.

According to an affidavit filed last year by a Homeland Security Investigations agent, Burke obtained 5 kilograms of cocaine and had marijuana and drug paraphernalia during a subsequent search of his house. It was alleged he made regular drug runs, carrying cocaine in his squad car.

He and another man, Raymond “Roc” Williams, were planning on selling the cocaine, obtained from a drug dealer cooperating with authorities.

The dealer told Williams he would receive $15,000 once the cocaine had been delivered, according to previous reports. Williams and Burke had done similar deals in the past, they said.

Court records alleged the pair had previously received $3,000 per kilogram and would only deliver larger amounts because they needed to split the payment.

The sting operation was a joint effort by federal agents and the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. Last year, Burke was subsequently charged in federal court, but was not indicted.

Burke will be arraigned before Mobile County Presiding Judge Charles Graddick on May 20. His bail was set at $20,000 on the trafficking charge, $7,500 for possession of cocaine and $500 for possession of marijuana.

Officer Ralph Mata Arrested For Murder for Hire Plot

A Miami-Dade police officer responsible for investigating police misconduct has been busted for allegedly organizing a murder-for-hire plot and cross-country drug trafficking.

Ralph Mata, an internal affairs officer known as "The Milk Man," was arrested in Miami Gardens on Tuesday after authorities say they uncovered his role in trafficking cocaine from the Dominican Republic to New Jersey.

According to the criminal complaint the 45-year-old’s associated drug traffickers were moving narcotics when rival dealers threatened to kill Mata's co-conspirators.

Those members, whom he had outfitted with firearms, were paying Mata thousands of dollars in cash for his help, in addition to giving him a Rolex watch valued at $10,000, according to the complaint.

Mata allegedly went to work by orchestrating a Hollywood style murder plot involving assassins disguised in uniforms and badges.

When his two targets were pulled over by what they'd think were law enforcement officers, they'd instead be shot.

"Mata arranged to pay two assassins $150,000 per target. Ultimately, the [drug trafficking organization] decided not to move forward with the murder plot, but Mata still received a payment for setting up the meetings," according to the complaint.

Mata's long rap includes aiding in the distribution of cocaine, organizing a murder-for-hire plot, providing firearms and sensitive law enforcement information to drug traffickers, and facilitating the transport of drug proceeds, according to New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.

He's charged with one count each of aiding and abetting a conspiracy to distribute cocaine; conspiring to distribute cocaine; and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity-specifically, drug proceeds.

Each of the narcotics charges face him with a minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum potential penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.

The transaction involving drug proceeds carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Probation Officer Todd Tronzo Charged with Trafficking

A probation officer has been charged with selling opium and hydrocodone pills to an undercover Durham police officer last month, and having illegal drugs in his possession when he was arrested early Thursday.

Todd Nicholas Tronzo, 35, of 3210 Hayling Drive, Raleigh, is charged with six counts of trafficking opium or heroin, two counts of possessing drug paraphernalia, two counts of maintaining a vehicle for the sale of a controlled substance, and two counts of possession with intent to sell or deliver hydrocodone, which is on the state’s list of controlled substances. He is charged also with one count each of selling and delivering the hydrocodone.

Tronzo is accused of selling 4 to 13 grams of opium – a range set in state law – and 15 hydrocodone pills to a Durham police detective March 21, according to arrest warrants. He kept the drugs in a pretzel snack bag in his 2005 Mercury Mountaineer, police said.

When arrested, police wrote, Tronzo had the same quantity of opium – 4 to 13 grams – and more hydrocodone pills in a medicine bottle bearing the name of Bonnie Tronzo, a woman with whom he owns his Raleigh home.

Tronzo has worked as a probation officer in North Carolina for five years, according to Pamela Walker, spokeswoman for the State Department of Public Safety. He is now on unapproved leave, she said.
Tronzo is being held in the Durham County jail, his bail set at $1 million. He is scheduled to appear in court April 26.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/14/1998711/state-probation-officer-arrested.html#storylink=cpy

Detention Officer Larry Martinez & Wife Accused of Stealing Prescription Drugs

Roosevelt County Sheriff Darren Hooker says a county detention center officer was fired Friday after being accused of stealing prescription drugs from the jail to sell on the street.

Hooker said Larry Martinez, 36, and his wife, Jesseka Martinez, 35, are facing assorted felony drug charges.

Larry Martinez, 36, was arrested for stealing Xanax from the detention center and giving it to his wife.

“He was charged with trafficking a controlled substance... Xanax,” Deputy Nathan Kinnison said.

Detention Center Administrator David Casanova said he doesn’t know how Martinez was able to get access to the drugs because the thefts happened before he was hired to run the jail.

According to police:

• On New Years’ eve, sheriff’s officers and members of Region V Drug Task Force contacted Jesseka Martinez at her home in the 1700 block of U.S. 236.

• Undercover agents had been purchasing marijuana from her since October as part of an undercover operation.

• During the investigation, Jesseka Martinez told officers her husband was a guard at the detention center and was stealing drugs from the center.

• “She allowed us to search the house,” Kinnison said. “We found marijuana, drug paraphernalia and prescription drugs in the house. So that is a misdemeanor and fourth degree felony.”

• During interrogation, Larry Martinez admitted stealing Xanax from the center and giving it to his wife, said Kinnison. He was charged with felony drug trafficking.

• Larry Martinez was behind bars at the center Friday in lieu of $20,000 cash-only bond. His wife was jailed in lieu of $7,000 cash-only bond.

ICE Officer Richard Cramer Pleads Guilty to Helping Mexican Drug Traffickers

A retired high-ranking U.S. immigration officer pleaded guilty Thursday in a Miami federal court to conspiracy to obstruct justice for helping members of a Mexican drug-trafficking organization evade arrest.

Prosecutors said Richard Cramer, who at one time was in charge of the Nogales office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, supplied smugglers with confidential law-enforcement background checks.

Cramer, 56, of Sahuarita, had originally faced three counts of cocaine smuggling, which were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea.

Felony obstruction carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, but under the plea deal prosecutors will recommend Cramer, who is in custody in Florida, serve two years when he is sentenced on Feb. 18.

In court Thursday, prosecutors outlined their case against Cramer: In 2006, he was stationed as an attaché in Guadalajara, Mexico.

A Mexican money launderer hiding in Miami needed assurance that he was not being sought by authorities before returning to Mexico.

Drug traffickers reached out to Cramer, who arranged for law-enforcement background checks. Those showed the money launderer was not wanted.

Federal agents later moved in on the traffickers and found they had paper copies of the background checks. Those led agents back to Cramer, who was arrested in September.

The case began with an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in Florida.

In the original criminal complaint, DEA agents accused Cramer of working with drug traffickers and investing up to $25,000 of his own money in a shipment of 300 kilograms of cocaine from Panama to Spain that was seized by agents.

Cramer's friends and relatives have remained stalwart in their defense of him, insisting he would never have intentionally broken the law.

Former Officer Shanita McKnight Appealing 20 Year Sentence

A former Lake City police sergeant found guilty of drug trafficking and extortion will appeal her 20-year federal sentence, according to federal court documents.

Shanita McKnight stood trial in federal court in Florence in October 2008 and was sentenced May 27.

About a month later, she filed documents pertaining to appealing her case to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Columbia attorney Joseph Henry, who represented Knight during her trial and sentencing, said in his client would be filing an affidavit of indigency and is requesting that counsel be appointed for her.

Transcripts of many of the objections made by Henry during the trial have been filed for use in federal appellate court.

Thomas M. Dawson and Lyle L. Yurko have been appointed as appellate defense attorneys in the case, according to court documents.

McKnight was convicted Oct. 21 of drug trafficking and extortion charges after a five-day federal trial. Per federal guidelines, she had to remain incarcerated until her sentencing.

McKnight was charged Aug. 9, 2005, with acceptance of money to conceal an offense involving a felony, misconduct in office, misprision of a felony and obstruction of justice.

The criminal affidavit accompanying the warrants alleged McKnight, during her eight years with the Lake City Police Department, tipped off drug dealers to police activities to help them elude arrest.

In addition, the affidavit indicated that McKnight was present during many drug transactions but never did anything about them and also that she was given money by drug dealers in exchange for information about law enforcement activity in the area.

McKnight and her aunt, Albergail McFadden, both of Lake City, were indicted June 26, 2007 on drug trafficking charges. McKnight also was charged with extortion for using her position as a police officer to “wrongfully obtain monies from other individuals.”

McFadden was sentenced Nov. 13 to 20 years in prison and 10 years supervised release by Wooten. U.S. District Court Judge Terry L. McFadden could have been ordered to pay a large fine, but he said he would not impose a fine in the case because she didn’t have the ability to pay.

McKnight was co-owner of 104 Samuel St., Lake City where a nightclub called Mamie Lou’s was located. Testimony established that Mamie Lou’s was operated by McFadden and was a well-known drug haven in Lake City where crack cocaine was sold and smoked, and prostitutes were available.

During her sentencing hearing McKnight told Wooten she isn’t a bad person.

“ ... I’m a good person,” a sobbing McKnight said. “I don’t care what these people say in this courtroom ... I was a good officer my family needs me and I need my family. I’ve lost everything I’ve worked hard for. I’m not the person they have made me out to be!”

TIMELINE OF LAKE CITY LARGE-SCALE CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION

Feb. 15, 2005 ... Lake City Police Lt. William Webb is arrested on federal drug charges of conspiracy with intent to distribute powder and/or crack cocaine as the result of an ongoing federal investigation into corruption and drug activity in the Lake City area.

June 29, 2005 ... Lake City police officer Maurice Ponteau and Sgt. Shanita McKnight and former Lake City police officer Merwyn Curt Brown have their state police certifications suspended by the S.C. Department of Public Safety Criminal Justice Academy after the academy reports that the officers failed polygraph tests they were given in connection with the same federal investigation.

July 4, 2005 ... Despite having his police certification pulled and being placed on administrative leave, Ponteau issues a traffic ticket to a local motorist. On the accompanying traffic collision report, Ponteau signs off as the investigating officer.

July 6, 2005 ... Then-Lake City Police Chief Kenneth McCaster is fired by Lake City Administrator George Simmons after just six months on the job. Simmons said he fired McCaster after the two had a disagreement about the way to handle the situation involving Ponteau and McKnight. “He (McCaster) wanted to terminate their employment on June 29th, and I wouldn’t let him,” Simmons said. “Because of that difference (in opinion), that’s why I’m here and he’s not.”

July 8, 2005 ... McCaster issues a public letter to the citizens of Lake City in which he explains he was fired after he reported the polygraph results for the three officers who were interviewed in connection with the Webb case. In the letter, McCaster makes many allegations about the workings of the city’s administration, calling Lake City “a thug-run city” and “a society of illegal administrative practices, sexual relations at work, political favors, nepotism, voter fraud, election fraud, intimidation, bad judicial (court practices), ticket fixing mixed with political pressure and favoritism and defiance and arrogance concerning other law enforcement agencies.”

July 22, 2005 ... The Morning News and WBTW News13 learn that Lake City Police Officer Elesto Bradford’s law enforcement certification has been suspended by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy since February. Police department officials say the suspension is the result of a paperwork glitch and is in no way connected to an ongoing investigation into corruption and illegal drug activity in the Lake City area. Bradford is suspended from duty without pay until the problem can be addressed. His certification is soon reinstated.

Aug. 8, 2005 ... McKnight is taken into custody by State Law Enforcement Division agents.

Aug. 9, 2005 ... McKnight is officially charged with acceptance of money to conceal an offense involving a felony, misconduct in office, misprision of a felony and obstruction of justice. The criminal affidavit accompanying the warrants alleges that McKnight, during her eight years with the Lake City Police Department, tipped off drug dealers to police activities to help them elude arrest. In addition, the affidavit indicates that McKnight was present during many drug transactions but never did anything about them and also that she was given money by drug dealers in exchange for information about law enforcement activity in the area. The charges against McKnight are still pending. The case has been turned over to the S.C. Attorney General’s office for prosecution, but no court date has been set.

Oct. 3, 2005 ... Webb pleads guilty in federal court to one count of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine. His plea is part of an agreement with the U.S. government that requires him to cooperate fully with the federal investigation into allegations of corruption and illegal drug activities in the Lake City area.

Jan. 2, 2006 ... Phillip Grimsley, a Lake City native and regional supervisor of SLED’s vice unit, takes the job of Lake City police chief.

Jan. 11, 2006 ... Grimsley announces that he has resigned as Lake City police chief after less than a week on the job and returns to work as a SLED lieutenant.

Jan. 12, 2006 ... During a Lake City City Council meeting, Mayor LaRue Alford asks Lake City Police Capt. Billy Brown to serve as the town’s interim police chief. Brown agrees. He eventually is hired as the city’s permanent police chief.

Feb. 14, 2006 ... Brenda Reddix-Smalls, attorney for Lake City, tenders her resignation during a Lake City City Council meeting.

During that same meeting, Councilmen Lovith Anderson Jr., Jean Lee, Sondra Crosby-Fleming and Franklin McAllister vote to void Simmons’ contract. Alford, mayor pro tem Russ Martin and Gloria Tisdale vote against the action. Alford says a majority vote plus the mayor’s vote are required to void Simmons’ contract. It marks the third time since Simmons was hired as administrator in 1996 that members of the council have tried to remove him from the post. In December 1997, then-mayor pro tem Ralph Singletary fired Simmons, but Simmons was reinstated just days later by the council. Simmons’ contract was voided by a majority vote of council in July 2002, but Alford reinstated Simmons after a grievance hearing.

Feb. 16, 2006 ... U.S. District Judge Terry Wooten sentences Webb to 13 years and four months in prison in connection with illegal drug activity. The sentence is to be followed by five years’ supervised release, and Webb also must submit to drug testing and treatment directed by a probation officer.

April 19, 2006 ... Alford is arrested on charges of misconduct in office and obstruction of justice. He faces allegations that he had counterfeit money and allowed another person who had spent counterfeit money to hide in his Lake City business. The arrest is the result of a 14-month investigation by the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, the State Law Enforcement Division, the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service.

April 29, 2006 ... Alford turns himself in on a federal charge of dealing in counterfeit money. A federal magistrate judge grants a $50,000 personal recognizance bond for Alford’s release.
Gov. Mark Sanford suspends Alford as mayor of Lake City; mayor pro tem Martin begins serving as mayor.

May 9, 2006 ... Lake City City Council members vote, 4-2, on May 9 to terminate Simmons’ employment and give him six months’ compensation as required by his contract.

July 26, 2006 ... A federal magistrate judge grants more time for Alford and his lawyer to review evidence before Alford stands trial on the federal charge. Alford’s attorney, Lionel Lofton of Charleston, says the defense has not received all the evidence from all law enforcement agencies involved in the case.

July 27, 2006 ... Simmons is arrested by Florence County sheriff’s deputies on 19 counts of embezzlement of public funds and one count of misconduct in office. The charges stem from information gathered during an investigation by the Florence County Sheriff’s Office, SLED and the FBI. “The aforementioned investigation revealed that Simmons, while acting in his capacity as city administrator for Lake City, collected rental funds from tenants who resided in residential housing units owned by Lake City and subsequently converted these rental funds to his own use,” between January 2001 and June 2005, according to a press release issued by the sheriff’s office.

Aug. 7, 2006 … Simmons is booked at the Florence County Sheriff’s Office a second time. This time, he’s charged with 11 counts of embezzlement of public funds of $1,000 or less.

Simmons turns himself in and he was released hours after his arrest on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond, Florence County Sheriff’s Capt. Todd Tucker said.

Nov. 2, 2006 ... Simmons and former Lake City finance director Juanita Cunningham Bradley-Wragg are arrested. They face one count each of mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and program fraud, which relates to any federal funding taken for personal use, Florence County Sheriff Kenney Boone said.

Simmons and Bradley were released after a U.S. magistrate set their unsecured bonds at $25,000 each. They must appear in federal court again Nov. 14 for a probable-cause hearing.

Nov. 7, 2006 ... Anderson is elected mayor of Lake City. Alford’s name is not on the ballot.

March 1, 2007 ... Assistant U.S. Attorney Debbie Barbier of the Columbia office added 21 charges to an original indictment against Simmons and Bradley-Wragg during an arraignment at the McMillan Federal Building in Florence. Barbier added one count of conspiracy, 10 counts of mail fraud and 10 counts of money laundering to their federal indictment. Neither Bradley-Wragg nor Simmons enter a plea.

March 5, 2007 ... Alford pleads guilty to possession of counterfeit currency in federal court. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000, plus a $100 special assessment.

May 30, 2007 ... Simmons and Bradley-Wragg finalize plea agreements at the McMillan Federal Building in Florence, avoiding a jury trial.

Simmons pleaded guilty to counts 1, 3 and 22 of the 40-count indictment. Count 1 and count 3 of the indictment charges that Simmons violated mail fraud statutes. Count 1 also charges him with conspiracy, stating that he knowingly and willfully conspired with another to take money from an organization receiving federal funds. Count 22 charges that he committed money laundering.

Simmons faces a $250,000 fine, five years in prison, and three years of supervised release for the conspiracy count. Possible penalties for money laundering include a maximum fine of $250,000 or not more than twice the criminally derived property, 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release. He would also be required to pay a special assessment of $100.

Bradley-Wragg pleaded guilty to counts 2 and 17 of the indictment. Count 2 charges that on or about May 30, 2001, to Nov. 22, 2002, she converted at least $5,000 of federal money given to the City of Lake City to someone else, ultimately costing city residents more than $40,000.

Count 17 states that on or about Oct. 3, 2002, she conducted a financial transaction that involved stolen funds.

Bradley-Wragg faces a maximum fine of $250,000, 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release for count 2 and a maximum fine of not more than $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction for count 17. She also faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a three years of supervised release, plus a special assessment of $100 for count 17.

June 1, 2007 ... Alford is sentenced to five months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release for possession of counterfeit currency. He remains free on bond and will report to prison in 60 days, U.S. District Judge Terry L. Wooten said.

June 4, 2007 ... Simmons and Bradley-Wragg are scheduled to review the terms of their plea agreements in federal court.

June 26, 2007 ... McKnight and her aunt, Albergail McFadden, 52, both of Lake City, are indicted on drug trafficking charges. McKnight also is charged with extortion for using her position as a police officer to “wrongfully obtain monies from other individuals,” according to a press release from then-U.S. Attorney Reginald I. Lloyd.
McKnight and McFadden face a maximum penalty of 10 years to life in prison and fines ranging from $4 million to $8 million.McKnight faces a maximum penalty of a $250,000 fine and/or 20 years in prison for the extortion charge.

Dec. 13, 2007 ... Bradley-Wragg is sentenced to sentenced to four months in prison, four months’ house arrest and three years’ supervised release on federal charges that she took public funds from the sale of Lake City-owned property for her personal use while she held office. She faced between eight and 14 months in prison, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Debbie Barbier of Columbia, who prosecuted the case.

March 19, 2008 ... U.S. District Court Judge Terry Wooten sentences Simmons to 51 months in prison, to run concurrently, followed by three years’ supervised release for each of the three counts to which Simmons pleaded guilty. Simmons also must pay $30,078.19 in restitution and a $300 special assessment, due immediately.

Oct. 7, 2008 ... Wes Unseld McFadden, Mazie McFadden and Carl “Buckwheat” McFadden Jr. are arrested and each charged with one count of using physical force, the threat of physical force, intimidation, retaliation, harassment and corruptly persuading a person with the intent to prevent testimony of that person in an official proceeding. Albergail McFadden is the mother of Wes McFadden and Mazie McFadden; all four McFaddens are related to Shanita McKnight.

Oct. 9, 2008 ... U.S. District Court Judge Thomas E. Rogers set a $20,000 surety bond for Carl McFadden and a $10,000 surety bond for Mazie McFadden. Wes Unseld McFadden was present during the proceeding but didn’t have a bond hearing. Rogers ordered the suspects be on home detention and wearing electronic monitoring devices. Carl and Mazie McFadden were also instructed not to speak with any victims or potential witnesses involved in their own cases or in that of McKnight.

Oct. 15, 2008 ... Shanita McKnight’s federal trial begins in Florence before U.S. District Court Judge Terry Wooten. Albergail McFadden, who already has pleaded guilty, was expected to testify against her niece but does not.

Oct. 21, 2008 ... Shanita McKnight is convicted of drug trafficking and extortion charges after a five-day federal trial. The jury of six men and six women deliberates for about three and a half hours before handing down the verdict. She faces a maximum penalty of 10 years to life in prison and fines ranging from $4 million to $8 million. She also faces a maximum penalty of a $250,000 fine and/or 20 years in prison for the extortion charge. Per federal guidelines, she must remain incarcerated until her sentencing.

Nov. 13, 2008 ... Albergail McFadden is sentenced to 20 years and 10 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Terry L. Wooten. McFadden could have been ordered to pay a large fine, but Wooten said he would not impose a fine in the case because she didn’t have the ability to pay. She is, however, required to pay a special assessment fee of $100.

May 27 ... U.S. District Court Judge Terry L. Wooten sentences Shanita McKnight to 20 years in federal prison for each count, to run concurrently. McKnight also must serve five years of probation for the drug trafficking charge and three years of probation for extortion. Wooten ordered the probation sentences to run concurrently, as well.

Deputy Tyrone David Arrested for Smuggling Drugs

A man sworn to protect the public and safely escort prisoners has been arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs into the provincial jail system.

Tyrone David was picked up Friday morning after he allegedly met up with a woman at a strip mall parking lot in the 300 block of Pleasant Street in Dartmouth. The meeting and alleged transaction took place just before 9 a.m., police said.

Both the 40-year-old deputy sheriff, who was in uniform at the time, and the woman left in separate cars. She was later arrested after she was pulled over by police on Chadwick Street.

The deputy sheriff was taken into custody in the parking lot of the Dartmouth provincial courthouse, not far away.

On Friday evening, police sent out a news release saying they had charged Mr. David, 40, with 12 counts of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

Kathleen Kierans, 22, has been charged with 12 counts of trafficking.

Justice Minister Ross Landry said Friday that the sheriff, who’s been on the job about five years, is on paid administrative leave.

Police wouldn’t reveal what kind of drugs were allegedly exchanged during the meeting, but sources told this newspaper that a quantity of cocaine and cash were involved, and were passed from the woman to the deputy sheriff.

Sources said the woman is the girlfriend of well-known crime figure Jimmy Melvin Jr. but police would not confirm that report.

Mr. Melvin didn’t appear in court Friday morning but his lawyer, Josh Arnold, made an appearance on his behalf.

Mr. Melvin’s case was on the docket Friday so a date could be set for his preliminary hearing on charges of possessing a weapon for a dangerous purpose, violating a weapons prohibition order, being in a vehicle that contained a prohibited weapon and possessing ecstasy and an anti-anxiety drug. He also faces charges of breaching bail conditions from a previous release.

It’s not believed Mr. Melvin, who’ll be back in court on Nov. 18 for the preliminary hearing along with two co-accused, will face any charges in connection with Friday’s arrests, the sources said.

Mr. Arnold said Friday that he couldn’t comment on any connection between the 22-year-old woman who was arrested and his client. He said he hadn’t heard anything about the deputy sheriff’s or the woman’s arrest.

Halifax Regional Police spokeswoman Theresa Rath said officers didn’t randomly stumble across the drug deal.

"This investigation occurred over a series of days. We were acting on information that we had received," she said Friday.

Ms. Rath wouldn’t reveal what makes police think the drugs were going to the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth.

"We can’t get into why we think that, but suffice it to say that based on the evidence that was seized, we believe that the drugs were destined for transportation into the corrections system. Our investigation will continue (looking) as to where (the drugs) may have been destined and to whom."

She said police haven’t received information to suggest that any other deputy sheriffs were involved.

Mr. Landry called the situation very disappointing.

"It’s always a concern when one of your employees is alleged to be involved in illicit activities," he told reporters at Province House. ""It raises a concern."

He said the positive in the situation is that drugs were kept out of the Burnside jail.

"That’s our goal and if any of our employees are involved in drug usage, we have a zero tolerance policy and we adhere to that strongly."

Aside from the police force’s investigation, Justice Department officials are also conducting their own probe.

Mr. Landry said officials believe it is an isolated incident. But Liberal justice critic Michel Samson said there have been lots of stories about drug use in prison, so he thinks the Justice Department investigation should be fairly broad.

"It might be time for the minister to take a look and determine exactly how is it that illegal drugs continue to get inside of our correctional facilities in light of the protocols that one would think are in place to prevent that from happening," said Mr. Samson.

Sources from the jail have said drugs regularly find their way inside, especially on court days, weekends and holidays.

One inmate from the Burnside jail was taken to hospital in the past month suffering from an overdose. Sources said he overdosed on ecstasy but his life wasn’t in danger.

Former Crown attorney Anne Calder is awaiting trial dates on charges of trying to pass drugs to a client at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility on July 14.

She faces several charges, including trafficking in prescription painkillers, possession of the painkillers for the purpose of trafficking and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

Mr. Samson and Tory MLA Cecil Clarke, a former justice minister, said Friday’s arrest is an unfortunate blemish on the dedicated workers in Sheriff Services.

Mr. Clarke said he expects swift, strong action.

"An example needs to be made and a message needs to be sent," Mr. Clarke said.

The province can’t tolerate its employees taking drugs into jails, whether or not they’ve been coerced.

No one from the union representing Sheriff Services workers was available for comment Friday.

Meanwhile, it’s not clear whether the cases against Walter Allan Gerrior and Kerry-Anne Zwicker, co-accused with Mr. Melvin, will be able to proceed Nov. 18 because they don’t have lawyers yet. Mr. Gerrior, like Mr. Melvin, has been in custody since they were arrested in September, and will be back in Dartmouth court Tuesday for a bail hearing.
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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2009/10/09/ns-deputy-sheriff.html

Former Chief Jose Cruz Arrested for Kidnapping

The former police chief in the Gulf coast port of Veracruz was among 11 people arrested for the kidnapping of Mexican customs official Francisco Serrano Aramoni, who remains missing and is feared dead.

Jose Osiris Cruz was detained Wednesday by military police, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office said.

A Veracruz state judge issued warrants for the arrest of Cruz and 10 other suspects on charges of racketeering, drug trafficking and illegal weapons possession, AG office spokesman Ricardo Celso Najera said.

Serrano, the head of the customs office in Veracruz, was driving home from work the night of June 1 when another vehicle rammed his vehicle and forced him to stop. Armed assailants then grabbed the official and drove away.

Since taking office in December 2006, President Felipe Calderon has deployed more than 50,000 soldiers and 20,000 federal police officers across Mexico in a bid to crush the country’s powerful drug cartels.

The operation has failed to put a dent in the violence due, according to experts, to the cartels’ ability to buy off police and even high-ranking prosecutors.

Probation Officer Armando Mora Arrested for Cocaine Trafficking

A federal probation officer is expected to a face a judge after being arrested in a cocaine trafficking and bribery case.

U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Armando Mora on Wednesday.

Authorities said the 36-year-old Edinburg man worked as a federal probation officer in Rio Grande City.

Federal prosecutors told Action 4 News that Mora is accused of taking thousands of dollars in bribes to conduct background checks on truck drivers for a local drug trafficking organization.

Investigators believe that Mora told drug traffickers not to hire two drivers because they were undercover agents.

A third truck driver was not hired because he was an FBI informant who was on probation and supervised by Mora.

Investigators believe Mora worked for the drug trafficking organization between February and June 2009 allowing them to move 738 pounds of cocaine.

The 36-year-old man remains in custody where he is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Court Judge Peter Ormsby on Thursday morning.

If convicted, Mora could 10 years up to life in prison and millions of dollars in fines for the drug trafficking charge.

The bribery charge is punishable up to 15 years in prison and thousands in fines.

Feds Arrest 2 Deputies for Trafficking Methanphetamines

Federal agents arrested two Hockley County Sheriff's Deputies in a drug raid Friday.

They charged 28 defendents, including the deputies, in a 110-count federal indictment for trafficking methanphetamines since 2003 in West Texas, California, and Arizona.

"What in the world is going on? There was a loud boom," said Deedria Ellis who lives across the street from a house federal agents searched Friday. The boom was a flash bomb used when the agents forced their way into the Levelland house, belonging to Bobby Froman. It was the culmination of a multi-agency investigation lasting several months.

Friday, federal, state and local law enforcement arrested 23 of the 28 defendants involved in methanmphtamines trafficking. Froman's house stands across the street from a day care as well as Ellis' home where she lives with a 6-year-old son. Ellis said, "I was expecting something like this to happen. I knew it was going on."

During the investigation Friday morning, ATF called Hockley County Sheriff's Department's Chief Deputy Gordon Bohannon to help with the raid, but when he got there they arrested him instead and searched his car.

Ellis said the officer's involvement didn't surprise her either. "I knew Bohannon was crooked from the day I met him," she said.

It did surprise the Hockley County Sheriff, David Kinney, that two of his officers were involved. "I got a call this morning from an FBI agent about 7:30 a.m., and he advised me that he had my chief deputy in custody," said Kinney.

Chief Deputy Bohannon and narcotics officer Jesse Quintanilla were among those arrested. Kinney knew the two officers were involved with Froman, but thought their relationship was professional because they used Froman as an informant.

Kinney says the FBI contacted him about these two officers involvement with Froman about a month ago, but told him there was nothing for him to worry about. He does not know of any other officers involved in the drug trafficking. "If my guys are guilty of this, then they need to be under the jailhouse because they know better," said Kinney.
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Video:
Two Hockley County Sheriff's Deputies arrested in large, federal drug raid

Former Officer Joseph Kelley Arrested for Stealing Wallet

A former Mashpee police officer was arrested yesterday and accused of stealing a clerk’s wallet at Kmart in Hyannis, reports the Cape Cod Times.

Joseph Kelley, 33, was also arrested last month on drug-trafficking charges.

Also arrested yesterday was Kelley’s girlfriend, Kristen Hendrick, 25, on charges related to both the Kmart allegations and drug trafficking.

Barnstable police said that Hendrick bought a Wii gaming system at Kmart on June 12 using a gift card. Soon after, Kelley allegedly returned the Wii for cash and security cameras allegedly caught him grabbing a clerk’s wallet that was near the register.

Kelley was arrested May 19 after police allegedly found 200 oxycodone tablets and some other drugs at his Cotuit home.
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Read full story here.

Deputy Roger Holbrook Arrested for Attempting to Sell Oxycodone

Roger Lee Holbrook, 56, of Morehead, chief deputy sheriff of Rowan County, was indicted May 7 in Lexington for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, attempting to aid and abet the distribution of oxycodone and possession of a firearm in a drug trafficking crime.

He is being held in the Carter County Detention Center without bond. His initial court appearance is set for today at 11 a.m. in Pikeville, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The indictment alleges Holbrook conspired with others to distribute a quantity of pills containing oxycodone beginning on an unknown date and continuing through on or about April 14, 2008 in Rowan County.

The indictment also alleges that on or about July 24 and Nov. 3, 2008 in Bath County, Holbrook attempted to aid and abet the distribution of a quantity of pills containing oxycodone.

Holbrook also is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime committed on July 24, 2008 in Bath County.

Holbrook was arrested at 10:15 a.m. May 15 at the Midland Frosty Freeze parking lot without incident by ATF agents (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) and members of Kentucky State Police. Holbrook had been at the restaurant with Rowan County Sheriff Jack Carter.

The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the ATF and KSP. The indictment was presented to the grand jury by Assistant United States Attorney Ron L. Walker Jr.

If convicted on the conspiracy and attempt charges, Holbrook faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

If convicted on the firearm charge, Holbrook would be subject to a mandatory five-year sentence that is consecutive to any other sentence imposed. However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. sentencing guidelines and the federal statute governing sentences.

Holbrook retired from Morehead State in 1996 as coordinator of investigations and special program. He also had been acting director of safety and security. Holbrook has been with the sheriff’s office since 1996.

An indictment is an accusation only and does not represent guilt.
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http://www.themoreheadnews.com/local/local_story_135112353.html

Sheriff Raymond Martin Arrested for Drug Trafficking

Sheriff Raymond M. Martin has been the law for nearly 20 years in a struggling southern Illinois county. But federal prosecutors say he's been breaking it lately by peddling pounds of pot, some seized by his own department, often in uniform and from his patrol vehicle.

Authorities on Monday led away a handcuffed Martin, 46, from his small Shawneetown office after his arrest on federal drug trafficking charges accusing him of supplying a dealer he threatened to kill when that man said he wanted out. The Gallatin County sheriff also allegedly pledged to use his authority to shut down rival drug traffickers.

"It's almost beyond belief," said Doug Maier, the sheriff in neighboring White County. Maier called Martin "a pretty low-key guy."

He continued, "Obviously, there was a different side that I've never observed."

Martin was jailed pending a Wednesday detention hearing on three counts of marijuana distribution and two counts of carrying a firearm, his service weapon, while trafficking drugs. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

A woman who answered his home telephone refused to comment, and Martin's court-appointed public defender did not immediately return messages.

Martin's job status was unclear Tuesday. Calls to Gallatin County Chairman Randy Drone rang unanswered, while calls to the sheriff's department rolled over to a neighboring dispatch center, which regularly answers calls when no deputies are in Martin's office. No one would say the exact size of Martin's department, other than to say it's small.

Martin's popularity in the county surrounding Shawneetown — boasting little more than a courthouse, a couple of convenience stores and Rudy's barbecue restaurant — swept the Democrat to re-election four times since he took office in 1990.

A criminal complaint accuses him of distributing more than two pounds of marijuana between April 27 and May 11. But an affidavit by Glenn Rountree, an investigator with the Drug Enforcement Administration, suggests Martin's dealings were many times that total.

In a blow-by-blow account painting a picture of a good cop gone bad, Rountree wrote that Martin hatched a marijuana-dealing scheme in November with the drug dealer who later got cold feet.

At that time, Martin handed the dealer, unidentified in court papers, two pounds of pot and asked if the man could "get rid of that" for the sheriff, who promised he'd use his power to protect him if he ever got caught selling. If the dealer didn't comply, Rountree wrote, Martin said he could "make up" a crime against him.

From then until early last month, Martin brought 1- or 2-pound amounts of marijuana on average once every couple of weeks to a rural, secluded meeting spot, Rountree wrote. But the sheriff twice brought 10 pounds and brought 20 pounds another time, according to the affidavit.

The meetings between the two were arranged by cell phone, with the dealer using vague code words Martin supplied to confuse possible eavesdroppers, including investigators, Rountree wrote.

The dealer grew unsettled over time and wanted out, but Martin would have none of that, Rountree wrote. At least twice, the sheriff pulled his service revolver and insisted emphatically to the dealer that making him "disappear" would be "that easy," according to the affidavit.

Rountree suggested the twitchy dealer went to investigators April 9. Over the next several weeks, authorities taped the dealer's conversations with Martin and tracked the sheriff's county-issued Ford Expedition.

At least once, Rountree alleged, the sheriff gave the informant marijuana seeds, saying he could pare his debt to the sheriff by growing pot plants for him.

And the sheriff dispensed advice, cautioning the man that it'd be "silly" for the dealer to get drunk or use pills and "mess it up" because "we got a good thing going."

"(You) won't even have to work and stuff," Rountree said Martin once told the snitch.

Such profit could be particularly attractive in Gallatin County, where the population has slowly eroded in recent decades as many of the region's coal mines closed. Its 9 percent unemployment rate is typical in the region. The median household income, according to 2000 Census Bureau figures, is $26,118.

Martin's county salary was not immediately available, but he received his $6,500 annual stipend from the state this month.

The area received statewide attention in 2005, when a story by the (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald noted that the tiny county with little violent crime was getting more homeland security funding per person — more than $300,000 — than any other in Illinois.

The article noted Martin spent "most days battling a thriving methamphetamine trade."

Allegations that Martin himself was dabbling in drugs left locals rattled, in many cases leaving them publicly reticent Tuesday. Still, many there remained in Martin's camp.

"I thought the world of that boy," said Roberta Tarrence, a 78-year-old widow with a quilting business near the county courthouse. "I've known him all of his life, and I know he was a good sheriff."
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More Information: http://www.wsiltv.com/p/news_details.php?newsID=7496&type=top

Two Florida Officers Arrested on Drug Charges

Two law enforcement officers in the Florida Keys were arrested on drug charges in an FBI-led undercover operation, a U.S. attorney's spokeswoman said.

Shawn Hernandez, a corrections officer with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, and Jonathon Jacox, a officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, were charged with possession with intent to distribute narcotics, conspiracy to traffic in narcotics and possession of a firearm in commission of a felony, The Miami Herald reported Tuesday.

Hernandez and Jacox were arrested after allegedly accepting and transporting in Florida what they believed were cocaine and heroin, said Alicia Valle, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office.

Florida fish and wildlife officers "are an exemplary group of people and we offer no refuge to those within our ranks who choose to break the law,'' said commission Chairman Rodney Barreto.
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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/AP/story/1009803.html

Officer Vanessa Nicole Charged with Bribery & Drug Trafficking

A Rochester police officer has been placed on administrative leave and faces criminal charges.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has charged 31-year-old Vanessa Nicole Mason with the following five counts of misconduct:

- Failed to perform duty
- Exceeds authority
- Warned subject of surveillance and search
-Bribery of a public officer
-Bribery aiding in prosecution of a crime

According to statements heard by the BCA, Officer Mason is accused of tipping-off drug dealers just before a search warrant was served. The complaint also alleges that Mason helped known drug dealers evade other officers while they had drugs on them. Other allegations include taking $10,000 in bribery money to turn her head away from a drug deal as well as drive loads of drugs up to the Twin Cities in her pickup truck.

The police department says it became aware of an allegation of misconduct involving Officer Mason and asked the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to conduct an investigation.

On April 7th, the BCA told the department the incident was reviewed by an independent prosecutor and was criminal in nature.

The RPD then placed Officer Mason on administrative leave. She has been a patrol officer for the past 4 1/2 years.

In 2006, Mason was disciplined for using illegal drugs while off-duty and for not reporting drug possession and use by another Rochester Police Department employee.

She was suspended without pay for 30 days.

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Click here to read the full criminal complaint.
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=2&a=394575

Undercover Narcotics Officer Rick Ramsdale Charged with Trafficking

A 46-year-old Alamogordo Department of Public Safety undercover narcotics agent was arrested for suspected trafficking of cocaine Saturday, an ADPS spokesman said.

ADPS Director Sam Trujillo said officer Rick Ramsdale is charged with trafficking by possession with intent to distribute.

Trujillo said the New Mexico State Police searched Ramsdale's home and found 1.3 pounds of suspected cocaine.

He said his department is continuing its own internal investigation of Ramsdale.

Trujillo said state police continues its own investigation of Ramsdale's suspected possession of cocaine.

According to Otero County Detention Center records, Ramsdale was released from OCDC on a $50,000 bail bond with no ten percent to appear in court April 22.

"Narcotics agents were conducting a surveillance investigation on an unrelated case Friday," Trujillo said. "One agent noticed the erratic behavior of Ramsdale that's what alerted the agent, something was wrong."

He said Ramsdale was transported to a local hospital for an evaluation.

Trujillo said the drug test at the hospital indicates the presence of cocaine.

"There was no indication prior to Ramsdale's behavior," he said. "We contacted the state police because we believe a crime has been committed by one of our employees."

Trujillo said the two investigations being conducted were initiated by his department.

"Ramsdale has been placed on administrative leave without pay pending a termination hearing," he said. "He was arrested by state police after being released from the hospital."

Detective Lt. Lee Wilder said they conducted an internal investigation.

"We notified the District Attorney's office," Wilder said. "The DA's office notified the state police. It would be unethical for us to truly investigate our own officer."

Trujillo said it is disturbing that ADPS had an officer arrested for suspected criminal activity.

"We do have to police our own," he said. "I do have to commend the other narcotics agents for stepping forward and making sure this did not continue."

Ramsdale started working as a undercover narcotics officer five weeks ago. He has worked as patrol officer at ADPS for one year. He was an Otero County Sheriff's Department deputy for five years prior to working at ADPS.

Officer Joseph D'Amelio Charged with Drug Trafficking

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer was arrested last night immediately after he and another man received a FedEx package containing hundreds of prescription painkillers, including OxyContin, police said.

Officer Joseph D'Amelio, 38, of East Boston, and Anthony Christallo, 39, of Derry, N.H., face a minimum of 10 years in prison on drug trafficking charges.

Based on FedEx's "internal policies," the company became suspicious of a package addressed to a London Street auto garage in East Boston and notified State Police narcotics detectives. State Police, working in conjunction with Boston police, the Suffolk district attorney's office, the US Drug Enforcement Administration, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement set up a controlled delivery of the package in an attempt to catch the intended recipients.

According to the district attorney's office, D'Amelio showed up at the garage, Advanced Automotive, shortly after 6 p.m. yesterday to accept the package. He was in a marked MIT police cruiser and wearing his police uniform.

D'Amelio and Christallo were arrested, and the package was seized, along with $12,000. The package reportedly contained 360 OxyContin tablets and an additional quantity of Roxicodone tablets. Roxicodone and OxyContin are brand names for the opioid narcotic painkiller Oxycodone.

The doses in the package are among the strongest available. There was no word on who sent the package.

A spokeswoman for MIT said D'Amelio has been placed on unpaid administrative leave and that the school was cooperating with police.

The men are being held in custody and will be arraigned tomorrow in East Boston District Court.

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http://www.necn.com/Boston/New-England/2009/03/16/MIT-police-officer-faces-drug/1237201290.html

Officer Yaniris Balbuena Accused of Laundering Drug Money

A New York City police officer was accused on Friday of conspiring to launder thousands of dollars in drug proceeds in what the authorities said was a large-scale heroin organization in the Bronx that the officer’s companion ran until his death last year.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged that the officer, Yaniris Balbuena, 31, who was arrested on Friday, took deliveries of drug money, sometimes on Jerome Avenue near the station house of the 44th Precinct, where she worked.

The prosecutors, citing an informant’s account, described her as being nervous during one such exchange, as she instructed the informant to drop money on the floor of her private car before driving away.

Officer Balbuena controlled nine bank accounts, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in Federal District Court in Manhattan. It said she deposited more than $230,000 in unexplained cash in her accounts, an amount that “far surpassed her legitimate income.”

The officer, who joined the force in 2000, was suspended after her arrest, a Police Department spokesman said. A federal magistrate judge ordered her released on bond late in the day. She said nothing during the hearing and did not enter a plea, dabbing her eyes and crying as she left. Her lawyer, John Tynan, declined to comment.

The authorities did not identify the officer’s companion in court documents, but said they had lived together and had two children. He was killed, apparently in a drug-related homicide, an official said. Officer Balbuena’s deposits of unexplained cash into her accounts stopped after his death, another official said.

The complaint said that the drug-trafficking operation generated hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that her companion lived luxuriously, driving expensive cars and buying property in the United States and the Dominican Republic.

The complaint is based in part on claims from people described as confidential informants who had been charged with crimes and were now assisting the government.

One of those sources, the complaint said, told the authorities that Officer Balbuena once told her companion that he “needed to change his lifestyle and live an honest life with a normal job.”

He replied that he “enjoyed the criminal lifestyle and did not want to work a regular job,” the complaint said.

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http://www.nytimes.com/

Ex-Cop Christopher Cole Committs Suicide in Jail Wasn't Placed on Suicide Watch

An ongoing feud between Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and Sheriff Warren Evans continues to intensify and has caught in its cross fire the family of a jail inmate who committed suicide.

Christopher Cole, an ex-Detroit cop with a controversial past, wasn't placed on a suicide watch at the Wayne County Jail when he was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving after a crash that left another man in a coma, despite claims by others that he warned that he would kill himself.

Evans' staff says the county's mental health staff assesses the needs of inmates during the intake process and should have detected suicidal tendencies. Ficano's staff counters that sheriff's deputies should have kept a closer eye on Cole.

Evans and Ficano are in the midst of a months-long battle over proposed budget cuts, a fight that has landed in Wayne County Circuit Court.

Last Monday, Cole, 46, of Macomb Township entered the Wayne County Jail after his bond was raised from tether release to $500,000 at the request of police officers. He was arrested Jan. 9 after police say he crashed into a car driven by Gary Holcomb, 22, of Detroit about 1:30 a.m. at the westbound I-94 service drive and Yorkshire.

Cole's lawyer, Mike Rataj, said Cole's former colleagues told sheriff's staff that Cole needed to be on suicide watch and that Cole said he would kill himself rather than go to prison.

Two nights later, he hanged himself with a torn bedsheet in his jail cell and was found dead Thursday morning and left several suicide notes, Rataj said.

"I don't think there's any question that the sheriff had information from the police that Chris Cole was suicidal," Rataj said.

Cole's was the second suicide in as many days at the jail.

Cole's 49-year-old brother, Michael Cole, said his brother had a long history of threatening suicide when he got into trouble. Christopher Cole had three drunken driving convictions and struggled with drugs, his brother said.

In 2001, he was acquitted of federal drug racketeering and civil rights abuses while four other cops were convicted of looting drug houses and gamblers. But, despite being cleared of the charges, Cole's friends and family said, he never got over the case.

He retired from the police department in 2005.

After the Jan. 9 accident, Cole "was absolutely devastated and the thought that he had hurt someone was the last straw," Michael Cole said. "I knew his intention was to get out on bail and hurt himself. I didn't want him to get out."

After his bond was raised, Christopher Cole called his 22-year-old daughter, Phaelyn Cole, and spoke cryptically, she said.

"He started telling me, no matter how everything turns out that he wanted us to know that he loves us no matter what," said Phaelyn Cole, who lives in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Grosse Pointe Park attorney Kevin Geer, who represents Holcomb's family, said Friday that Holcomb is in a coma at Detroit's St. John Hospital. He was in critical condition at the hospital Sunday, a hospital spokesperson said.

John Roach, a spokesman for Sheriff Warren Evans, agreed that Cole should have been on a suicide watch, but was instead placed in general population.

"Somebody needs to ask the county executive for answers," he said of Ficano. "For somebody who had such clear indicators, we cannot understand why they would not have seen those risk factors and assigned Mr. Cole to special accommodations at the jail."

Ficano spokeswoman Vanessa Denha-Garmo replied: "Appropriate mental and physical screenings were conducted as they always are when inmates enter the jail. The sheriff's deputies are in charge of placing inmates inside the jail. It is unfortunate that politics are playing a part of such a tragic case."

Deputy Standric Choice & Two Others Charged with Stealing Cocaine

DALLAS

Standric Choice, a Dallas Sheriff's Deputy, Terry Kemone Anderson and Charlie Lee Hill were arrested Friday afternoon on federal drug charges outlined in a criminal complaint that was filed late Friday evening, announced James T. Jacks, acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas. The three defendants will make their initial appearance this afternoon at 3:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney in U.S. District Court in Dallas. The government plans to ask the Court to detain all three defendants.

The complaint charges Anderson, 29, Hill, 31, and Choice, 36, with knowingly and intentionally possessing with the intent to distribute cocaine, and knowingly and intentionally conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute in excess of five hundred grams of cocaine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section(s) 846, 841(a)(1) and (b)(1)B). The maximum statutory penalty for this offense is 80 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the complaint, on January 7, 2009, agents of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force (HIDTA) group received information from a reliable Confidential Informant (CI) that a Dallas County Sheriff's Officer, DSO Standric Choice, was involved with an individual, Charles Lee Hill, believed to be his brother-in-law, in distributing narcotics. A meeting was held with the CI in which the CI described a narcotics transaction he referred to as "trading licks" (stealing narcotics from the drug supplier). After meeting with the CI, agents advised the CI to arrange a meeting with Hill and the DSO to finalize plans for a drug deal.

The CI and Hill finalized details of the proposed drug deal at a meeting the following day. At that meeting, the CI told Hill that he was a narcotics distributor. The CI and his cocaine source planned to meet at the TA Truck Stop/Burger King on I-20 and Bonnie View Road in Dallas to complete a four kilogram cocaine transaction. Hill agreed that after he saw the CI and his supplier (an undercover agent) meet, he would call DSO Choice. They planned that Choice would drive into the parking lot to investigate the car, and that upon finding the four kilograms of cocaine, DSO Choice would arrest the CI and release the undercover agent. Choice would then take the four kilograms and the CI to a second predetermined location where Hill would be waiting and release the CI. The CI would meet with Hill and the two (the CI and Hill) would split the drugs stolen from the drug supplier (the undercover agent).

On January 9, 2009, surveillance revealed that a single DSO squad car, identification number SE 419, pulled into TA Truck Stop/Burger King at 7751 Bonnie View Road at I-20 and Bonnie View Road and pulled in behind the undercover agent's and CI's vehicle and turned on the overhead emergency lights. Deputy Choice exited the squad car and approached the CI and undercover agent. Deputy Choice asked the undercover agent a few questions and told him to leave and then placed the CI into custody. After securing the CI in the backseat, Deputy Choice retrieved a duffle bag containing four kilograms of cocaine from the vehicle and placed it in the trunk of his squad car.

Deputy Choice then left the truck stop and drove southbound on Bonnie View Road. Through surveillance, a gray Nissan Pathfinder, occupied by Charlie Lee Hill and Terry Kemone Anderson, and the DSO squad car were seen together in a deserted area on Cleveland Road just west of Bonnie View Road. The vehicles were then observed traveling northbound on Bonnie View Road. The DSO vehicle was then followed until it arrived at the Dallas Sheriff's Department, 133 North Industrial, in Dallas. Choice was then taken into custody.

The Nissan Pathfinder was observed re-entering the TA Truck stop where the vehicle stopped briefly, and the CI exited the vehicle. Two kilograms of cocaine were then retrieved from the CI. The Nissan Pathfinder left the TA Truck Stop and traveled northbound on Bonnie View Road where Desoto Police Department tactical operators conducted a felony car stop, and Hill and Anderson were arrested. Two kilograms of cocaine were retrieved by the Irving Police Department from the front passenger seat floor board.

While stating that the investigation is ongoing, acting U.S. Attorney Jacks praised the cooperative investigative efforts of the North Texas HIDTA, FBI, IRS-CI, the Irving Police Department and the Desoto Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanna Etessam is prosecuting the case.

More information: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6207395.html