A former Ohio police officer has pleaded guilty to stealing cocaine from police evidence and crime scenes, federal officials said. Joel M. Mefford, 35, of London, pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and money laundering, according to an Aug. 27 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
Mefford was arrested Feb. 1, according to records from the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio. McClatchy News reached out to Mefford’s attorney Aug. 30 for comment but did not immediately hear back. Mefford, while working as a Columbus Division of Police officer investigating drug crimes, stole and trafficked cocaine with the help of another officer, according to officials.
On multiple occasions, Mefford and the other officer only submitted a portion of the drugs they found during their investigations as evidence, stealing the rest to be sold, officials said. In April 2020, Mefford and the other officer stole approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine from the police department’s evidence room, which was later sold, and replaced it with fake cocaine, according to indictment records filed in December.
Officials said Mefford received about $130,000 from cocaine sales and deposited more than $72,000 in cash into his personal bank account. Mefford will be sentenced at a later date, according to the release. Possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, and possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine carries a penalty of five to 40 years in prison, officials said. Money laundering carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
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Source: Kansas City Star
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