Federal officials are charging more than a dozen law enforcement officers from Mississippi and Tennessee with accepting bribes from FBI agents disguised as cartel members. One of the worst offenders and best examples of the crimes being charged is Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston. According to the indictment, he 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.”
All of the defendants agreed to “escort runs,” which the indictment claimed “ they were protecting the transportation of 25 kilos of cocaine, sometimes referred to as ‘birds,’ or, on October 5, 2023, the transportation of illegal narcotics proceeds, during the course of the investigation to build trust with the corrupt law enforcement officers, to lay the groundwork for future runs, and to take other action to further the drug trafficking conspiracy.”
Blurb:
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.