Feds Charge 15 Cops with Providing Protection to Drug Dealers

Federal authorities have indicted 15 law enforcement officers recruited by undercover federal agents to provide protection for a dozen fake drug deals in Oak Lawn, Tinley Park, Homewood, Matteson and DuPage Airport. At the center of the conspiracy is Harvey detective Archie Stallworth. Federal agents released a photograph of Stallworth carrying three bags of what he believed to be stuffed with 30 kilos of cocaine into a vehicle. Stallworth also works as a Metra train conductor. Some undercover audio tapes were played at Stallworth's probable cause hearing. In those tapes Stallworth is heard telling the undercover agent that Harvey was the best place to conduct their drug deals because he could provide protection for the dealers and that "if anything's going down, we going to know about it." On the same tape Stallworth is heard telling the undercover agent how to avoid being caught.

Stallworth's attorney is claiming that his client was not guilty of any wrongdoing and that he was merely conducting his own undercover investigation of suspected drug dealing.

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