In a press conference on Thursday, the FBI announced that 20 individuals were arrested on criminal charges related to a drug-trafficking conspiracy in the Mississippi Delta.
A total of fourteen current and former law enforcement officers were arrested. Six co-conspirators were also arrested.
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.
Officers and deputies from all over the Delta were indicted and arrested for taking bribes for escorting what they thought were drugs or drug money. This has been a year-long investigation. Early this morning, the FBI began making arrests all across the Delta.
The FBI said that the indictment talks about how law enforcement officers and accomplices agreed to provide safe passage for drugs and drug proceeds through the Mississippi Delta region. They did this in return for money.
Here are the names of every individual arrested and where they work, or formerly worked, according to court documents.
Officers:
Wendell Johnson – Bolivar County Sheriff’s Office
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Dequarian Smith- Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office and Isola Police Department
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Brandon Addison – Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office and Hollandale Police Department
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Truron Grayson – Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Martavus Moore – Greenville Police Department
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Jamario Sanford – Greenwood Police Department
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Chaka Gaines – Greenville Police Department
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Javery Howard – Metcalf Police Department, Hollandale Police
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Marcus Nolan – Mississippi Department of Corrections
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Marquavious Bankhead – Mississippi Highway Patrol
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Dexture Franklin – Washington County Sheriff’s Office
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Sean Williams – Yazoo City Police Department and Mississippi Department of Corrections
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Co-Conspirators:
Torio Chaz Wiseman:
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Derrik Wallace:
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Aasahn Roach:
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Jeremy Sallis:
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Pierre Lakes:
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Sheriffs and Chief Deputy:
Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams
- Charged with Drug Distribution
Sunflower County Chief Deputy Marvin Flowers.
- Charged with Drug Distribution
In addition, 19 individuals are charged with violating federal firearm laws pertaining to carrying a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
______________________________________________________________________
U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner began the press conference by saying,
“Public corruption is a crime against the entire community. It leads to loss of trust in law enforcement and erodes the justice system…Mississippi deserves better. The American people deserve better.”
Deputy Director of the FBI, Andrew Bailey, spoke about the magnitude of these indictments and the case by saying,
“This operation and these indictments are a success. But they point to a troubling reality. We’re talking about 14 former or current law enforcement officers, six co-conspirators who are alleged to have sold out to the public, promoted crimes they should have been investigating and stopped, and instead of working to stem the flow of dangerous controlled substances, the evidence will show they took bribes to facilitate the distribution of controlled substances. They betrayed the trust the public placed in them, disgraced the badge, undermined the hard work of good law enforcement officers across the state and across this region.”
The U.S. Marshals Service assisted in the arrests made today. The FBI is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Mims is prosecuting the case. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI urged the public to report police corruption by calling them at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Statement from Commissioner Sean Tindell and Commissioner Burl Cain:
“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.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Original Story:
Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams was allegedly one of several arrested in a federal sting Thursday morning, county officials confirmed.
Sunflower County Chief Deputy Marvin Flowers was also allegedly arrested Thursday, according to the Enterprise Tocsin newspaper out of Indianola.
Videos online posted by citizens appear to show FBI agents on PA systems seemingly calling people out of their homes, including Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston, and Chaka Gaines, who at one time was a Greenville police officer, though it is unclear if he still is.
The newspaper states, and officials confirm that the sting Thursday morning could potentially impact multiple Delta law enforcement agencies.
A press alert clearly marked “not for publication“ the FBI says a press conference will be held Thursday afternoon at 4 PM to discuss a “Mississippi Delta drug conspiracy takedown.”
Darkhorse Press generally does not post federal alerts that are meant to be “not for publication,“ but as of 1:15 PM, several other outlets have posted it and the word is out.
As long as technology allows, we will live stream the press conference from our Facebook page.
This is a developing story. We will update as we have more information.