Two Mississippi Sheriffs Among 20 Accused of Taking Bribes in Fake Cartel Scheme [Video]

A major federal sting operation has rocked Mississippi’s law enforcement community, exposing what officials say was a betrayal of public trust at the highest levels. On October 30th, federal prosecutors announced indictments against 20 individuals, including 14 current or former officers accused of accepting bribes to escort what they believed were shipments for a Mexican drug cartel.

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The sweeping investigation, years in the making, covered counties across the Mississippi Delta and reached into Memphis, Tennessee. Among those arrested were Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston and Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams. Both are accused of using their positions of power to greenlight illegal activity for cash.

“It’s just a monumental betrayal of public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner during a press briefing.

Court documents allege the officers provided armed escorts on several occasions for an undercover FBI agent pretending to be part of a cartel. They were told the shipments contained up to 55 pounds of cocaine. In some instances, they even protected drug money movements. Authorities say the bribes ranged as high as $37,000. Gaston allegedly disguised his payment as campaign contributions without reporting them.

The operation started after complaints from arrestees who said they had to pay off law enforcement.

“Law enforcement is only effective when the community they protect can trust the law enforcement officers are honestly serving the community’s interests,” said FBI Special Agent Robert Eikhoff.

Nineteen of the 20 defendants also face federal weapons charges. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves responded, saying, “The law must apply equally to everyone regardless of the title or position they hold.”