The Justice Department said yesterday that FBI agents posing as cocaine traffickers in Arizona caught 16 current and former U.S. soldiers and law enforcement personnel who took about $220,000 in bribes to help move the drugs through checkpoints. Those charged include a former Immigration and Naturalization Service inspector, a former Army sergeant, a former federal prison guard, current and former members of the Arizona Army National Guard and the state corrections department, and a local police officer. All 16 have agreed to plead guilty to being part of a bribery and extortion conspiracy. The Justice Department says the operation took 3 1/2-years. Officials say more arrests are anticipated.
FBI Arrests 16 Soldiers, Law Enforcement Officers in Drug Bust
HeadlineMay 13, 2005