Fourteen individuals in the U.S. state of North Carolina, including eight former law enforcement officers and four correctional officers, have been convicted for their roles in a large-scale drug-trafficking organization.
The FBI began an undercover investigation in 2013 following allegations of corruption within the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office. Among those convicted Tuesday were several senior officers in the department, including a former captain, a lieutenant, a sergeant and a couple of sheriff's deputies.
All those charged said they were recruited to work for the drug-trafficking organization because of their status as law enforcement officers or because they had ties to law enforcement. They transported large amounts of cocaine and heroin and proceeds for the drug-trafficking organization in exchange for bribes, authorities said.
Several of the group have pleaded guilty to an assortment of charges.