Alabama State Trooper Indicted after Drug Ring Busted along with Stash of Cocaine; 5 also in Custody
An Alabama State Trooper has been indicted by the authorities after a drug distribution gang was busted by police. The trooper is identified as Michael Anthony Evans.
A conspiracy involving the distribution of drugs has six defendants, including an Alabama State Trooper.
On Monday, U.S. Attorney Jonathan Ross for the Middle District of Alabama announced the indictments.
The individuals charged are-
- Jim Carter, Jr., 57, of Montgomery;
- Francisco Lopez, 38, of Texas;
- Maria Beatriz Palomo-De Lopez, 40, of Mexico;
- Saundra S. Curry, 63, of Deatsville;
- Bryce Johnson, 37, of Union Springs;
- Michael Anthony Evans, 52, an Alabama State Trooper from Montgomery.
They are accused of plotting to sell cocaine.
On June 10, detectives monitored a residence on Edgar D. Nixon Avenue.
According to the criminal complaint, federal officers observed a gray Dodge Ram pickup bearing Texas license plates pull up to the scene just before noon.
Carter’s Toyota Rav 4 likewise pulled up to the scene shortly afterward.
Along with two children, aged four and fourteen, Maria Lopez and Francisco Lopez exited the Dodge Ram. Carter and Curry exited the Rav 4.
A search warrant was executed at the residence by DEA agents at 12:02 p.m. According to the documents, when they got closer, they observed Carter and Francisco Lopez attempting to take a battery out of the Ram’s bed.
Agents discovered two batteries in the Dodge Ram’s bed during their search. Six kilograms of cocaine total—roughly three kilograms in each battery—were contained therein.
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Within the house, about 155.8 gross grams of crack cocaine were discovered.
According to the Lopezes, they arrived in Montgomery in search of a rental home.
“While searching the Ram truck, there was only one small suitcase for four people, which is indicative of a short trip,” the agent wrote.
Furthermore, according to the records, the Ram was in Houston on June 8, which the agent claimed is a well-known “source city” for narcotics imports into the country.
The agent stated that on several occasions, a male Hispanic took a public bus from Houston to Montgomery, whereupon Carter picked him up and drove him to the residence on Edgar D. Nixon. After that, the man would take a public bus back to Houston either that evening or the next.
Evans is a senior state trooper; federal records do not specify his alleged involvement in the plot.
Authorities with ALEA stated on Monday Evans’s arrest resulted in his obligatory leave being imposed on Thursday.
Francisco Lopez and Carter could receive jail terms ranging from 10 years to life if found guilty. The remaining four offenders could face sentences of up to 20 years in jail.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency assisted the DEA in their investigation. The prosecutor is Mark E. Andreu, an assistant U.S. attorney.
