FBI Indicts 20 in Mississippi Drug Escort Scheme

Federal authorities indicted or arrested 20 people — including 14 current or former Mississippi Delta law-enforcement officers — after a multi-year FBI investigation alleging they accepted bribes to provide armed escorts and safe passage for large cocaine shipments through the Delta to destinations including Memphis and Miami. The indictments name two sheriffs, Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston and Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams, among the charged, and identify other defendants including Brandon Addison, Chief Deputy Marvin Flowers, and Dequarion Smith. Court filings allege some payments were disguised as campaign contributions and at times reached reported amounts of $20,000–$37,000; 19 defendants also face separate federal firearms counts for carrying weapons during drug trafficking. Officials said the probe began after complaints from arrested suspects and used undercover tactics — including an FBI agent posing as a Mexican cartel member — to document escorts and bribe payments. Arrests were made across multiple Mississippi Delta counties and in Shelby County, Tennessee, and U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner and senior FBI officials warned the case is a serious breach of public trust.