14 current and former officers in Mississippi arrested in ‘drug trafficking takedown’
SUNFLOWER COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) - Fourteen current and former law enforcement officers and six co-conspirators in Mississippi have been arrested on drug-related charges by the FBI.
On Thursday, federal officials announced the arrests, which spanned multiple counties and multiple jurisdictions in the Mississippi Delta.
Those arrested include Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston, Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams, and Sunflower County Chief Deputy Marvin Flowers.
“This corruption permeated all levels, extended across multiple counties, multiple jurisdictions. The Department of Justice and its subset, the FBI, will not allow wrongdoers to get away with it,” said FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey.
“We will stop these kinds of disgraceful and shameful abuses of public office, and... will not tolerate corruption among America’s criminal justice system.”
Other officers arrested include:
- Brandon Addison - Hollandale Police Dept., Humphreys Co. Sheriff’s Office
- Javery Howard - Metcalf Police Dept., Hollandale Police
- Truron Grayson - Humphreys Co. Sheriff’s Office
- Sean Williams - Yazoo City Police Dept., Mississippi Department of Corrections
- Dexter Franklin - Washington Co. Sheriff’s Office
- Wendell Johnson - Bolivar Co. Sheriff’s Office
- Jamario Sanford - Greenwood Police Dept.
- Martavis Moore - Greenville Police Dept.
- Marquavious Bankhead - Miss. Highway Patrol
- Chaka Gaines - Greenville Police Dept.
- Dequarian Smith - Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office/Isola Police Dept.
- Marcus Nolan - Mississippi Department of Corrections
Additional co-conspirators:
- Aasahn Roach
- Jeremy Sallis
- Torio Chaz Wiseman
- Pierre Lakes
- Derrik Wallace
Acting U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner said the officers allegedly took bribes to allow or facilitate the transport of drugs in the Delta, and that federal officials began the investigation after receiving complaints from drug dealers.
“I guess you could characterize it as a sting,” said Attorney Joyner. “We did what we did to close the circle.”
Indictments found on the U.S. District Court’s website show the investigation began in March 2023 and continued to at least October 2024.
During that time, the defendants were allegedly employed by an undercover FBI agent posing as a member of a Mexican drug cartel seeking to traffic drugs along Highway 61 through the Mississippi Delta.
According to court records, the officers provided armed escorts to undercover agents believed to be trafficking drugs on at least three occasions: March 8, 2023, March 20, 2024, and July 16, 2024.
Officers also were said to have provided armed escorts for the transportation of proceeds from drug trafficking on two others: October 5, 2023, and July 16, 2024.
Additionally, the indictment states the some of the officers made multiple trips to Miami to meet with undercover agents.
Addison and Howard traveled there on April 7, 2023. In September 2024, Addison and Howard made a return trip to the Sunshine State, along with Franklin, Nolan, Roach, Lakes and Wallace.
“During this meeting, each of the listed defendants affirmatively agreed to participate in the future escort of illegal narcotics through the Mississippi Delta and into Memphis,” court documents state.
In exchange, the officers allegedly received tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. Those amounts are below:
- Addison - $37,500
- Howard - $31,000
- Gaston - $20,000
- Grayson - $19,500
- B. Williams - $18,000
- Franklin - $16,500
- S. Williams - $14,000
- Johnson - $12,000
- Amber Holmes - $1,000 (Charges dropped)
- Nolan - $6,500
- Roach - $6,500
- Wiseman - $5,000
- Sallis - $5,000
- Wallace - $1,500
- Lakes - $1,500
A joint statement released by Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell and MDOC Commissioner Burl Cain said that Moore, Williams, Nolan, and Bankhead have all been “suspended or separated from employment with our respective agencies.”
“The Mississippi Department of Public Safety and 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,” Cain and Tindell said.
An indictment is posted below:
In a statement from Chief Billy Seal, president of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police and Chief in Long Beach, Mississippi:
“Today’s arrests of several Mississippi law-enforcement officials are serious and disappointing. Any abuse of authority is a betrayal of the badge and the trust our communities place in those who serve.
But let one thing be clear: the wrongdoing of a few does not define the many.
Across Mississippi, thousands of officers put on the uniform each day with honor, courage, and integrity. They stand watch in our neighborhoods, respond to emergencies, protect families, and uphold the law with pride. Their badges should not be tarnished by those who chose a different path.
We support swift accountability for anyone who breaks the public trust — and we stand just as firmly with the men and women who continue to serve the right way, for the right reasons.
Honor the badge by honoring those who protect it every day."
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