A Philadelphia cop has been arrested for allegedly masterminding a plot to sell drugs that were supposed to be submitted as evidence, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
Eric Snell was cuffed by federal agents at his home in Philadelphia Tuesday morning and stands accused of hawking large quantities of cocaine and heroin together with a group of officers that included his friend, Baltimore Detective Jemell Rayam, prosecutors said in a press release.
Snell, 33, and Rayam worked together on the Baltimore police department between 2008 and 2014 but stayed in touch after Snell moved to Philadelphia.
The alleged crooked cop duo came up with the idea to start selling stolen drugs after Rayam was engaged in a high-speed car chase on Oct. 3 last year.
During the chase, a suspect threw over 9 ounces of cocaine out the window of his car before crashing near a Baltimore mall. Rather than confiscating the coke and submitting it as evidence, Rayam and a number of fellow officers who were at the scene decided to sell it.
After learning that Rayam had pocketed the drugs, Snell reached out to his former co-worker and told him that he wanted in on the action.
During a sit-down at Snell’s Philadelphia home, the duo came up with the idea that Snell’s brother would sell the coke. The three men designed a detailed plot that included pricing, distribution schemes and how to divide the proceeds, prosecutors said.
In addition to cocaine, Snell agreed to sell 80 grams of heroin that Rayam had picked up from one of his co-workers in Baltimore.
As part of a sweeping federal probe that included the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Agency, Rayam was arrested on June 26 and pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking and multiple robberies.
Snell called Rayam while he was locked up and revealed details that eventually led to his arrest. During the call, which was recorded by the jail phone system, Snell assured his former co-worker that authorities knew nothing about their drug ring. Snell urged Rayam to “stand tall” and assured him that he would “keep an eye” on his kids.
Snell could face up to 20 years in prison and was ordered held without bail after a court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
A total of nine officers have been indicted in the expansive drug conspiracy.