MIAMI (AP) — More than 300 kilos of cocaine bricks were found during a baggage scan at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. Two of the men charged in the drug bust are police officers in the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to federal authorities.
The plastic-wrapped bricks were found inside several duffle bags during a routine X-ray inspection this week after a charter flight from the Virgin Islands landed in Miami, according to a criminal complaint filed by Homeland Security Investigations.
The Miami Herald reported Saturday that six people were arrested, including the four passengers on the charter flight. Shakim Mike and Teshawn Adams are officers with the U.S. Virgin Islands Police Department and have been on the force since 2016, authorities said.
“This brings a level of stress for us because we know better,” Virgin Islands Police Commissioner Trevor Velinor said during a news conference. “I denounce any engagement in criminal activities, specifically by law enforcement officers.”
The defendants are all U.S. citizens and face a conspiracy charge of attempting to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Five have detention hearings later this month and arraignments in March in Miami federal court. Adams surrendered Thursday and had his first court appearance, the newspaper reported.
When the bags went through the airport X-ray, Mike fled the airport and was arrested later, according to the complaint.
Another defendant told authorities the last words he heard from Mike before he fled the airport were “I think we should run.”
In an interview with Customs and Border Protection agents, Mike said someone approached Adams last month in the Virgin Islands and asked about smuggling drugs on private flights. Adams then recruited Mike, offering to pay him $60,000 to $70,000 to help smuggle the cocaine.
According to the complaint, Mike said he helped pack the cocaine bricks into the duffel bags and admitted three of the bags were his.
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