Jackson, Miss. Six current or former law enforcement officers in Mississippi have pleaded guilty so far, and another has been found not guilty of the alleged charge. Bribery scheme for drug trafficking Which killed 20 people, including deans.
Federal indictments filed in October allege that 14 current or former Mississippi law enforcement officers received bribes from an FBI agent who posed as a member of a Mexican drug cartel in exchange for help moving 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of cocaine through Mississippi Delta counties and into Memphis.
Six other people have also been charged — three in Mississippi and three in Tennessee.
The indictments included officers from several law enforcement agencies in the Mississippi Delta, which includes the western portion of central and northern Mississippi.
The jury found Chaka Gaines, who was a police officer with the Greenville Police Department, guilty on Wednesday.
Gaines was charged with aiding and abetting the possession, transportation, and distribution of illegal drugs and use of a firearm in connection with a drug trafficking crime. During Gaines’ trial, the judge dismissed the gun charge due to insufficient evidence.
“This ruling reflects a fundamental principle that the government must prove a crime occurred, and cannot create a crime,” said attorney Bridget Morgan, who represented Gaines.
The Greenville Police Department did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about Gaines’ employment status.
Martavis Moore, Jamario Sanford, Marvin Flowers, Dekarian Smith, Brandon Addison and Jaffrey Howard — who were serving as law enforcement officers at the time of the alleged crimes — have since accepted plea deals. They pleaded guilty to conspiracy to aid and abet the possession, transportation, and distribution of illegal drugs. Shawn Williams, who was also a law enforcement officer at the time, filed notice of his intent to change his plea.
The rest of the law enforcement officers, including Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston, Humphrey County Sheriff Bruce Williams, and six others charged alongside them, are scheduled to face trial this summer.