Twenty people, including former Sunflower County Chief Deputy Marvin Flowers, have pleaded not guilty to federal charges that allege participation in a drug-trafficking conspiracy throughout the Mississippi Delta.
Flowers is one of 14 current or former Mississippi law enforcement officers, which also include two Delta sheriffs, Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston and Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams, who were among those arrested by the FBI on Oct. 30.
The FBI announced the indictments and arrests of the 20 individuals on criminal charges, which allege the taking of bribes to attempt to aid drug trafficking. Many of the current or former law enforcement officers accused were charged with accepting bribes to provide protection and safe passage for illegal narcotics across the Delta region and into Memphis. The indictments include charges for conspiracy, aiding in drug trafficking and firearms offenses.
Flowers was charged with conspiracy to aid the transport and distribution of illegal narcotics, bribes, firearm-related offenses involving the transport of what was believed to be 25 kilograms of cocaine.
Gaston and Williams allegedly accepted thousands in bribes from someone they believed to be a member of a Mexican cartel, the Associated Press reported this week. In return, the sheriffs allegedly gave the cartel their “blessing” to operate in their counties.
Michael Carr, an attorney representing Williams, told the Associated Press his client maintains his innocence.
“Let’s just get to the merits of it and get in front of a jury so the officers and my sheriff, Bruce Williams, can have his name cleared, can be publicly vindicated, and can hopefully get back to work,” Carr said to the AP.
All law enforcement officers charged in the case were offered a $10,000 bond with a condition that bars them from continuing or seeking employment as law enforcement officers.
The Mississippi Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training has also suspended the officers’ law enforcement certificates, pending a full hearing before the board.
Others charged include Brandon Addison (Hollandale Police Department, Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office); Javery Howard (Metcalfe Police Department, later Hollandale); Truron Grayson (Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office); Sean Williams (Yazoo City Police Department); Dexture Franklin (Washington County Sheriff’s Office); Wendell Johnson (Bolivar County Sheriff’s Office); Marcus Nolan, Aasahn Roach, Jeremy Sallis, Torio Chaz Wiseman, Pierre Lakes, Derrik Wallace (civilian or law enforcement co-conspirators); Jamario Sanford (Greenwood Police Department); Martavis Moore (Greenville Police Department); Marquivious Bankhead (Mississippi Highway Patrol); Chaka Gaines (Greenville Police Department); and Dequarian Smith (Humphreys County Sheriff’s Department, Isola Police Department).
