The Justice Department issued the following statement.
20 Mississippi and Tennessee individuals were arrested today on criminal charges related to their alleged participation in a drug trafficking conspiracy in the Mississippi delta.
According to court documents, Brandon Addison, Javery Howard, Milton Gaston, Truron Grayson, Bruce Williams, Sean Williams, Dexture Franklin, Wendell Johnson, Marcus Nolan, Aasahn Roach, Jeremy Sallis, Torio Chaz Wiseman, Pierre Lakes, Derrik Wallace, Marquivious Bankhead, Chaka Gaines, Martavis Moore, Jamario Sanford, Marvin Flowers, and Dequarian Smith are all charged with drug distribution. These individuals were arrested in numerous counties within the Northern District of Mississippi and Shelby County, TN.
In addition, 19 individuals are charged with violating federal firearm laws pertaining to carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. As stated in the indictments, 14 of these individuals were local law enforcement officials in the Mississippi delta. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner of the Northern District of Mississippi; Deputy Director Andrew Bailey of the FBI and Special Agent in Charge Robert Eikhoff of the FBI Jackson Field Office made the announcement.
The U.S. Marshals Service provided invaluable assistance in today’s arrests. The FBI is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Mims is prosecuting the case.
Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell and Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain issued the following statement.
“As a result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, multiple law enforcement officers across the Delta region of Mississippi have been arrested and charged with drug conspiracy, drug distribution, and aiding and abetting the distribution of drugs. One of the law enforcement officers arrested was formerly employed by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. The Mississippi Department of Corrections had one former law enforcement officer and two current law enforcement officers arrested. All four of the following individuals arrested in connection with this investigation have been suspended or separated from employment with our respective agencies: • Martavus Moore – Mississippi Department of Corrections • Sean Williams – Mississippi Department of Corrections • Marcus Nolan – Mississippi Department of Corrections (former) • Marquavious Bankhead – Mississippi Highway Patrol (former) The Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the Mississippi Department of Corrections do not condone, nor will we tolerate, conduct that violates the public’s trust, particularly from those who have taken an oath to protect and serve. We commend the diligent work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and have fully cooperated throughout the course of this investigation. Any additional inquiries should be directed to the FBI." Commissioner Sean Tindell and Commissioner Burl Cain.Kingfish note: That was the press release, now for the news. First up is a list of all defendants and their respective law enforcement agencies in the first indictment.
Brandon Addison: Hollandale P.D. and Humphreys County S.O.
Javery Howard: Metcalfe P.D. and Hollandale P.D.
Milton Gaston: Washington County Sheriff
Truron Grayson: Humphreys County S.O.
Bruce Williams: Humphreys County Sheriff
Seann Williams: Yazoo City P.D.
Dexter Franklin: Washington County S.O.
Wendell Johnson: Bolivar County S.O.
The indictment charges the defendants with conspiring to "aid and abet" drug trafficking throughout the Mississippi Delta to Memphis. They stand accused of acting as "protection" for cocaine shipments as well as the money gained from selling drugs. The indictment alleges:
13. It was part of the conspiracy that the defendants were employed by FBI UCE #1, posing as a member of a Mexican drug cartel, to protect the transportation of drugs by the cartel through the Mississippi delta counties along Highway 61 and eventually into Memphis, Tennessee, by providing armed law enforcement escort services on March 8, 2023, March 20, 2024, and July 16, 2024, when the drugs were being transported. The Humphreys County and Washington County Sheriffs are damned in the indictment:WILLIAMS, the Sheriff of Humphreys County, gave his blessing to FBI UCE #1 for the cartel to transport narcotics and narcotics proceeds through Humphreys County and for the cartel to use his deputy, ORAYSON, to escort the illegal narcotics and narcotics proceeds. B. WILLIAMS received multiple monetary payments for his blessing for the cartel to operate in his county and use his deputy to protect the cartel's illegal drug trafficking. GASTON, the Sheriff of Washington County, gave his blessing to FBI UCE #1 for the cartel to transport narcotics and narcotics proceeds through Washington County and for the cartel to use his deputies, HOLMES and FRANKLIN, to escort the illegal narcotics and narcotics proceeds. GASTON 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. GASTON attempted to have those monetary payments disguised as ""campaign contributions,"" but did not report them as required by law.
Campaign contributions? Sounds familiar. In fact, parts of the indictment sound familiar.
16. In addition to providing armed law enforcement escort services on multiple occasions, it was part of the conspiracy that ADDISON and HOWARD made a trip to Miami, Florida, on April 7, 2023, to meet with FBI UCE #1 and one or more other undercover agents posing as cartel members to discuss the cartel's need to safely transport narcotics and narcotics proceeds through the Mississippi delta and to make plans for ADDISON and HOWARD to assist with this venture. It was further part of the conspiracy that on September 14, 2024, ADDISON, HOWARD, FRANKLIN, NOLAN, ROACH, LAKES, and WALLACE likewise travelled to Miami to meet with FBI UCE #1 and other undercover agents posing as cartel members to further discuss the cartel's drug trafficking in the Mississippi delta and to plan additional escorts. During this meeting, each of the listed defendants affirmatively agreed to participate in the future escort of illegal narcotics throughout the Mississippi Delta and into Memphis.
In case anyone is wondering, yes, they went on the boat. One reason Justice Department delayed unsealing the indictments against Owens, Lumumba, et al after the FBI raids is because it did not want anyone in the North Mississippi investigation to figure things out from the appearance of the boat in the Jackson case.
The indictment alleges the law enforcement officers received bribes:
Addison: $37,500
Howard: $31,000
Gaston: $20,000
Grayson: $19,500
B. Williams: $18,000
Franklin: $16,500
S. Williams: $14,000
Johnson: $12,000
Holmes: $1,000
Nolan & Rich: $6,500 each
Wiseman & Sallis: $5,000 each.
Wallace & Lakes: $1,500 each
The twelve-count indictment also charges the defendants with possession of firearms during a drug trafficking crime.
A separate indictment charges former MHP Trooper Marquavius Bankhead with protecting the transport of 25 kilos of cocaine by clearing the route of drug interdiction units. He received $5,000 for his troubles. Greenville police officers Chaka Gaines and Martavis Moore protected a 25 kilo of cocaine shipment in March 2024 for $5,000.
Greenville police officer Jamario Sanford, Sunflower County deputy Marvin Flowers, and Greenwood police officer Tyquana Rucker protected a 25 kilo cocaine shipment in March 2023.
24 comments:
Good to see dirty cops get weeded out.
New Federal Courthouse in Greenville fixing to get some action!
At least two really terrible quality, Kingfish-like, audios of the news conference are out there.
Thanks for keeping it classy in the Delta boys.
Greenville too close to the action. Look for this to be handled out of Oxford.
I believe they're locked up in Oxford.
No pictures? It’s a dark day for crooked law enforcement….
I’ll ask. Are these African American law enforcement officials who were arrested?
What a bunch of dumb asses. Didn’t y’all YAHOO’S hear about that damn yacht in Miami was a setup! That good liquor, jumbo shrimp, crab legs, tomahawk steaks and strip club experience made these fools loose their minds! I hope they had fun! Well a least they’ll have stories to tell in Federal Prison.
Where are the pics like Grady Judd would show. Awful for the honest hardworking men & women in blue!
wow......you can buy cops in Mississippi for as little as $1500 to act as muscle and guard cartel drug shipments.
thats why all the talk about how wonderful law enforcement is makes me wanna puke.
Where's all the support the blue posts?
Hinds County Jail Officers are next, y’all know inmates don’t care nothing about you! You will be surprised who’s undercover! That little money y’all are getting/taking/ confiscating and not putting in the inmates account ain’t worth going to prison. I pray that it ain’t true!
7:13 from the names yes! The two sheriffs are African American from the Mississippi Sheriffs Association website. The ex Trooper has to be by his first name Marquavius! This shigity is statewide, these fools are real dumb! The cartel has no loyalty amount thieves especially corrupt law enforcement they are expendable!
This story reads like the lyrics to an old school Randy Newman song... plus an additional 45 years of layers of graft and debauchery that makes you feel like you need a long, long shower with a pumice stone and a gallon of Gojo industrial cleaner.
$1,500 may be a month’s pay in the Delta.
This news is scary! Who knows what else these crooked cops were doing.
These fools should have known something was odd due to the low payments they were receiving! The ballers get $20,000 and up for a load. What a desperate bunch of dummies.
I’ll bet them corner dope boys are saying, I told you!
Im sure they were doing other shady shit!
Back the blue! (Till you black and blue!)
8:09 where is your support for your DEI hires? Nobody despises crooked cops worse than good cops! Tell the truth for a change! Democrats are corrupt to the core. If Merrick Garland was still AG we would have never heard about this!
It's the south where the bar is set real low for LE officers. In S. Carolina sixteen (16) sheriffs have been arrested since 2020. For those of you in Rio Linda that averages out to about three (3) per year. If you can fog up a mirror when you breath on it you are good to go.
No pun intended !
Yeah, those dumbasses have been doing a lot of crooked s*** in the Delta for years. Everyone suspected it. I’ve practiced law in the Delta for several decades and I know several of the officers involved. Doesn’t surprise me a bit. Crime is rampant, drugs are everywhere and no big drug busts have been made in the Delta in years. That alone should raise a few red flags to anyone with a little common sense. Years ago there would be frequent arrests for drug dealing involving both large and small quantities. Big dope kingpins and street corner dope boys were frequently targeted by police drug units, county drug task force members and Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics. Then things changed. Good law enforcement officers were replaced by crooks looking for an easy way to make some cash. With the lack of arrests in recent years you would’ve thought there was no more drug trafficking in the Delta but somebody had to be dealing because crack heads and meth junkies were still robbing and stealing to get their fix.
It’s all BS. They thought they were being paid as extras in the next Bad Boys movie. Hollywood stars make bank.
Whether you are a Jackson mayor or a Delta sheriff….you never know when the FBI is looking at you.
The investigation began more than two years ago under Biden admin.
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