(NewsNation) — Two elected sheriffs were among 14 Mississippi law enforcement officers indicted for allegedly assisting drug trafficking across the state’s Northwestern Delta region, federal authorities announced Thursday.
In cases unveiled by Acting U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner, the indicted officers are accused of taking bribes of up to tens of thousands of dollars to allow the transportation of what they thought were illegal drugs. Joyner said the FBI launched the yearslong investigation, which he described as a sting, after suspects complained about having to pay kickbacks.
“We’re talking about 14 current or former law enforcement officers … who are alleged to have sold out the public,” FBI Co-Deputy Director Andrew Bailey said at a news conference. “This corruption permeated all levels. It extended across multiple counties and multiple jurisdictions in the state of Mississippi, and beyond.”
Besides the 14 officers from local, county and state police agencies, another six people were indicted for allegedly escorting what conspirators thought to be drug shipments. The two elected sheriffs charged are Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams and Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston.
Joyner said he believed all defendants had been granted bond. No further information was immediately available.
Multiple Mississippi law enforcement agencies and sheriffs have faced federal scrutiny in recent years.
In 2024, former Hinds County Sheriff Marshand Crisler was convicted of accepting $9,500 in bribes and knowingly providing ammunition to a convicted felon. The same year, former Noxubee County Sheriff Terry Grassaree pleaded guilty to making false statements to the FBI while being questioned about requesting and receiving nude photos from a female inmate.
William Brewer, a former Tallahatchie County sheriff, was sentenced to six years in prison in 2019 for extorting bribes from a drug dealer.
In 2023, six law enforcement officers pleaded guilty to state and federal charges for torturing two Black men, a case that sparked a Department of Justice investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office. A similar DOJ probe concluded last year that officers of the Lexington Police Department discriminated against Black people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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