AP β A Florida police officer has been sentenced to more than 17 years behind bars after pleading guilty to stealing drugs, cash and firearms from federal investigations and admitting that he once went so far as to swap cocaine seized by the U. Drug Enforcement Administration with a fake kilo made from a 3D printer.
Both had been assigned to a DEA-led task force in Jacksonville. Read: Man in Florida on work visa arrested with 15 pounds of meth, deputies say. He also confessed that in , he swapped a kilogram of cocaine seized by the DEA with a brick made from a 3D printer sprinkled with real cocaine to make it look legitimate.
About half that amount was paid to Hickox. Read: Florida deputy planned to smuggle drugs aboard cruise ship inside candy bag, report claims. On another occasion, according to the plea agreement, he and Earrey staged a fake traffic stop to seize what they thought were 13 pounds of fentanyl arriving from another state.
Watch: Operation Night Cap busts dozens for late night sales permit violations, drugs in downtown Orlando. Hickox, in his plea agreement, also admitted to routinely breaking into DEA evidence bags, stealing thousands of dollars in cash and then resealing the bags, or repacking the currency into another heat-sealed bag with forged signatures, to cover his tracks. Attorneys representing Hickox did not respond to an email seeking comment. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps.
And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. The suspected perpetrator also died. A local business owner says the ongoing retail crime problem has forced his staff to take take matters into their own hands, often chasing thieves down themselves.
