14 law enforcement officials arrested in FBI investigation of drug trafficking conspiracy in Mississippi Delta

Fourteen local law enforcement officials in the Mississippi Delta have been arrested and charged for their alleged roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi announced on October 30. The arrested officials stand accused of taking bribes to safeguard the conspiracy, while six additional subjects allegedly undermined “the integrity of the badge” by impersonating police, said FBI Jackson Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Robert Eikhoff. FBI Co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey announced the arrests and charges alongside Eikhoff and Clay Joyner, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Mississippi, at a press conference in Oxford, Mississippi. The case, Bailey suggested, should serve as a cautionary tale for public servants. “Let this be a lesson for those sworn to serve the public that if you’re a good law enforcement officer, the FBI will always stand with you,” FBI Co-Deputy Director Bailey said. “But for those corrupt individuals who abuse their office, we will come for you and hold you accountable." The FBI, partnering with task force officers and the U.S. Marshals Service, made the arrests in the early hours of October 30 in an operation that spanned two states. SWAT teams from the FBI’s Birmingham, Dallas, Jackson, Little Rock, Louisville, Mobile, Nashville, New Orleans, and Oklahoma City field offices supported the October 30 operation, noted FBI Jackson Assistant Special Agents in Charge Crystal Bender Sims and Maher Dimachkie. The FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, Crisis Negotiation Unit, and Crisis Management Unit personnel—as well as Bureau intelligence personnel and professional staff members—also provided key support to the effort. “This was a multi-year investigation that covered multiple jurisdictions,” Bender Sims noted. All 20 subjects have been charged with drug trafficking, and most were also indicted on related firearms charges, according to a Justice Department press release. “The FBI is committed to ensuring integrity and rigorous adherence to the law by all law enforcement officers,” SAC Eikhoff said. “We will continue to partner with the United States Attorney’s Office to weed out public corruption of any kind.” Learn more about how the FBI's efforts to stem public corruption directly support our mission and our priority to rebuild public trust.