Multiple law enforcement officers across the Mississippi Delta were arrested on Thursday by the FBI in a drug conspiracy takedown, authorities confirmed to Mississippi Today.
Sunflower County Sheriff James Haywood told Mississippi Today that FBI agents called him early Thursday morning and informed him that Sunflower County Chief Deputy Marvin Flowers had been arrested. The charges involved “public corruption,” but Haywood didn’t yet know the specific charges. The federal sting ensnared “a couple sheriffs in the Delta and numerous police officers,” he said.
“In law enforcement, we’re supposed to set the bar of honesty. We’re supposed to set the bar on trust in our community. We can’t violate it,” Haywood added. “This is devastating news, and we just got to pick up the pieces and regain the public trust.”
The Sunflower County Sheriff’s Department said Flowers was in custody on Thursday and could not provide other contact information for him.
In neighboring Washington County, Greenville Police Chief Marcus R. Turner Sr. told Mississippi Today that Sgt. Chaka Gaines and officers Wendell Johnson and Dextur Franklin of the Greenville Police Department were also arrested. FBI agents informed Turner of the arrest, but he did not know the charges and declined to comment further.
Gaines was awarded “Supervisor of the Month” by the Greenville Police Department in April 2024. He was a 14-year veteran of the department and supervised lieutenants on multiple shifts, according to a department social media post.
Multiple videos circulated online Thursday that appeared to show confused neighbors filming some of the arrests. One video shows a law enforcement vehicle parked outside an apartment complex with its sirens blaring, ordering Gaines to surrender.
“Chaka Gaines, this is the FBI. Come out with your hands up. We have a warrant for your arrest,” a law enforcement officer said.
Authorities also confirmed the arrests of sheriffs in Washington and Humphreys counties, along with other law enforcement officers in the Delta, in a drug-related investigation. The officials who spoke to Mississippi Today were not authorized to speak publicly about the arrests and did so on the condition of anonymity.
Federal officials were expected to announce the arrests later on Thursday.
Mississippi has been the site in recent years of other federal probes into local law enforcement agencies that have resulted in criminal charges and lengthy prison sentences.
In Rankin County, six former law enforcement officers who called themselves the Goon Squad pleaded guilty to federal civil rights offenses for torturing and sexually assaulting multiple men. The Department of Justice has signaled that the investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office will continue.
In Holmes County, also located in the Mississippi Delta, the Department of Justice accused the Lexington Police Department in 2024 of engaging in excessive force, illegal searches and sexual harassment.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Article credit, Michael Goldberg and Jerry Mitchell, for Mississippi Today.
