Miami River Cops Scandal

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The Miami River Cops Scandal was a major police corruption case that occurred in Miami, Florida, during the mid-1980s. It is considered one of the most significant instances of police corruption in United States history. The scandal came to public attention on July 28, 1985, when three bodies were discovered floating in the Miami River. What initially appeared to be a botched police raid was revealed to be a drug ripoff gone wrong, perpetrated by corrupt police officers of the Miami Police Department.

Contents

Background

The River Cops were a group of 19 police officers convicted of various state and federal crimes including murder, racketeering, robbery, drug possession, civil rights violations and conspiracy charges. [1] : 139 

Beginning in 1984, [2] a group of officers, later dubbed "The Enterprise", started to steal cash and drugs from motorists stopped for traffic violations to later sell for a profit. They then started to go after bigger operations by getting tip-offs from informants. On July 13, 1985, [3] the officers seized hundreds of kilograms of cocaine in secret compartments of the Mitzi Ann, a boat docked at the Tamiami Marina. [1] : 139–140  In July 1985, ten people dressed as officers forced their way into the Jones Boat Yard along the Miami River, of

Map of the Miami River Miami River Map.JPG
Map of the Miami River

where the name "River Cops" derives from. They raided a shipment of drugs on a pleasure boat named the Mary C, taking 350–400 kilograms (770–880 lb) of cocaine worth around $10 million at the time (equivalent to $28,000,000in 2023). [1] : 140  [2] [3] During the raid, three of the seven person crew unloading the cocaine drowned attempting to escape. It was believed to be a raid gone bad until a night watchman revealed that they were actual police officers who raided the boat yard. One witness even testified that they had their weapons drawn and were yelling, "Kill them! Kill them!" as they approached. [4]

Some of the seized cocaine was kept for personal use but most was sold. [1] : 140  The corruption was uncovered during the investigation into the deaths at the Jones Boat Yard and when officers were apprehended attempting to sell the cocaine to undercover agents as well as a covert recording sting operation at the helm of Metro-Dade detective Alex Alvarez. [3] [2] The first trial of the River Cops started in September 1986 with Armando Estrada, Rodolfo Arias, Roman Rodriguez, Armando Garcia, Arturo de la Vega, Osvaldo Coello and Ricardo Aleman as defendants, but resulted in a mistrial after jurors could not agree on a verdict. [3] Twenty officers, including the original seven from the first trial, were indicted as part of a new trial. [5] After Arias became a prosecution witness, ten officers pleaded guilty and two were convicted at trial in February 1988. [6] [7] In the end, nearly 100 officers had been arrested, fired, suspended, or reprimanded. [8] City officials cited community growth lead to lax hiring standards as well as terrible supervision of officers. [9]

Notable officers

FBI Most Wanted Poster from 1994 Armando Garcia (FBI).png
FBI Most Wanted Poster from 1994

Armando "Scarface" Garcia

A leading member of "The Enterprise", Garcia met with some other defendants and plotted to kill some of the witnesses, then vanished in 1987 with his father and wife. He was added to the FBI Ten Most Wanted List on January 18, 1994, as fugitive #423. A tip from the America’s Most Wanted led authorities to Garcia where Colombian security police stopped him as he drove away from his apartment in Cali, Colombia. He was arrested alongside his father. After failing to try and bribe an officer, he was extradited to the United States. [10] [11]

Rodolfo "Rudy" Arias

Arias did not participate in the Jones Boat Yard incident but was gifted 4 kilos by other officers involved. He then turned and sold it for $92,000. He says he has made at least $1.08 million from reselling stolen drugs from smugglers. He later turned states evidence and became a star witness for the prosecution. [12] he was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder after conspiring with Coello to murder a local bar owner who helped local cops get started in the drug trade. [13]

Osvaldo Coello

Though his first trial was left in a hung jury, while out on bond, he fled to Jamaica and later the Bahamas. After being captured he stood trial. Coello was convicted of six charges, but was acquitted on three civil rights charges involving the drownings of three drug smugglers of the Jones Boat Yard Incident. [14] Although Coello was sentenced to 35 years in prison, he served about two-thirds of that time because of good behavior. [15] He was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder alongside Arias. [13]

Ricardo Aleman

Aleman was the first officer convicted for their role in "The Enterprise" on charges of conspiracy and possession of cocaine and two counts of income tax evasion. [16] He admitted to making over $1 million reselling stolen cocaine and planned killing witnesses against him. [17]

Further reading

The ‘bad cop’ who rules Miami

The Miami River Cops Case: The most corrupt case in the history of the Miami Police Department

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kim M. Lersch (2001). "Drug Related Police Corruption: The Miami Experience". In Palmiotto, Michael (ed.). Police Misconduct: A Reader for the 21st Century. Pearson. pp. 132–144.
  2. 1 2 3 Volsky, George (October 12, 1986). "7 FORMER OFFICERS ON TRIAL IN MIAMI". The New York Times . Archived from the original on Feb 3, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "COPS THE VILLAINS IN THIS MIAMI VICE RENEGADES WITH UNIFORMS, BADGES TARGETED DRUG DEALERS, STOLE COCAINE". Orlando Sentinel . November 8, 1987. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  4. ↑ Stuart, Charles (Oct 16, 1990). "Archive - When Cops Go Bad | Drug Wars | FRONTLINE | PBS". www.pbs.org. Archived from the original on Feb 13, 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  5. ↑ John Dombrink (Winter 1988). "The Touchables: Vice and Police Corruption in the 1980's" . Law and Contemporary Politics. 51 (1): 201–232. doi:10.2307/1191720. JSTOR   1191720 . Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  6. ↑ Thompson, Morris S. (February 7, 1988). "MIAMI VICE POLICE TRAFFICKING IN DRUGS". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on Nov 14, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  7. ↑ "'River Cops' conviction relieves police". United Press International . February 9, 1988. Archived from the original on Oct 12, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  8. ↑ Iannelli, Jerry. "Five Times Drugs Corrupted Miami-Area Cops". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  9. ↑ Nordheimer, Jon (1986-01-09). "MIAMI POLICE SCANDAL RAISING QUESTIONS ON MINORITY RECRUITS". The New York Times . p. 10. Retrieved 2024-11-19.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ↑ ""I'm not the crooked cop; you are'". Tampa Bay Times. Jan 20, 1994. Archived from the original on Nov 22, 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  11. ↑ "423. Armando Garcia". FBI.gov. 1994-01-18. Archived from the original on Sep 26, 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  12. ↑ "HE WAS TOUGH, AN EXEMPLARY OFFICER — AND A CROOK". Orlando Sentinel. 1987-11-08. Archived from the original on Nov 22, 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  13. 1 2 Bearak, Barry (1986-10-06). "3 Men Died in Drug Rip-Off : Miami Seeking Answers as Police Trial Unfolds". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  14. ↑ "'River Cops' conviction relieves police - UPI Archives". United Press International . Feb 9, 1988. Archived from the original on Oct 12, 2016. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  15. ↑ WEAVER, JIM (2016-10-16). "Convicted Miami River cop charged again in cocaine smuggling case". The Miami Herald . Archived from the original on Feb 11, 2021. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  16. ↑ "Ex-policeman convicted in drug scheme - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
  17. ↑ "FORMER MIAMI POLICE OFFICER GUILTY IN DRUG RIPOFF SCHEME". Orlando Sentinel. 1987-09-24. Archived from the original on Nov 22, 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
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