A Homeland Security agent, Nicholas Kindle, has been charged with selling illegal drugs that were seized as evidence. He is the second agent involved in this alleged drug-selling scheme, following the arrest of agent David Cole a few weeks earlier. Both agents face serious felony drug distribution conspiracy charges. Kindle also faces a charge for converting U. S. government property for profit.
The U. S. Attorney's Office has formally charged Kindle, and he has not yet obtained an attorney. A judge scheduled his first court appearance for January 21 in Salt Lake City, where he could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Cole, who was indicted in mid-December, has pleaded not guilty and could face a maximum of 20 years if convicted during his trial set for late February.
According to the federal prosecutors, Kindle and Cole took advantage of their positions to steal illegal drugs known as "bath salts" under the false claim that they were needed for investigations. They began this alleged theft in 2021, also taking large amounts of cash and valuables from evidence. From 2022 to 2024, they reportedly sold these drugs to an unnamed informant who was allowed to resell them, and they did not arrest any of the customers involved in the transactions.
The agents are said to have made between $195,000 and $300,000 from this scheme. Furthermore, they allegedly forced a previously incarcerated confidential informant to act as a middleman for these drug sales. Communications regarding these transactions were conducted via an encrypted messaging app, and the FBI began investigating after the informant's lawyer raised concerns about the agents' illegal requirements.
The investigation began in October 2024, leading to recorded evidence of the agents selling drugs illegally to the informant in several instances.
https://100percentfedup.com/federal-agents-charged-allegedly-selling-seized-illicit-drugs/
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