Raleigh officer in uniform sold cocaine while on-duty in police car, US Attorney says
A Raleigh police officer faces criminal charges after he allegedly sold cocaine while on-duty in uniform and while driving his police car, said U.S. Attorney Michael Easley.
Officer Keven Rodriguez, 33, was arrested Wednesday on charges of distribution of a quantity of cocaine and possession of a firearm in connection with that offense, Easley said at a Thursday news conference at the Terry Sanford Federal Courthouse in Raleigh.
Rodriguez, who has worked for the department since July 30, 2018, is a field operations division officer with the Raleigh Police Department.
“When one who wears the badge breaks the law, it breaches the public trust,” Easley said. “This alleged crime is a serious breach of public trust.”
The investigation began in November 2021 after members of RPD and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration received tips from two confidential sources that Rodriguez was selling drugs in Raleigh, according to an affidavit that’s part of the federal criminal complaint filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson said the department “moved swiftly” to begin the investigation.
Last month, Rodriguez allegedly met with a confidential informant and sold the person cocaine for $2,600 in cash, Easley said. He allegedly drove to the meeting in his patrol car, while in uniform and carrying his department firearm, Easley said.
Rodriguez was placed on administrative duty during the investigation, and is on leave without pay since his arrest, pending the outcome of an internal affairs investigation, Patterson said.
“The arrest of Mr. Rodriguez is a disappointment to me, the Raleigh Police Department, and the citizens and residents of our community,” Patterson said. “Although disheartening, I want to ensure transparency to maintain public trust.”
Easley declined to comment on whether there would be other arrests in the case, but said the investigation remained ongoing.
Rodriguez’s first court appearance in Raleigh was Thursday morning before the news conference. Officials did not respond to a query Thursday afternoon asking whether he remained in federal custody or not.
Patterson said there also is an internal investigation that’s “separate but parallel” to the criminal investigation. Easley and Patterson declined to say whether Rodriguez’s arrest would affect any cases the officer was involved in.
“I don’t know that that’s been the subject of our investigation at this stage,” Easley said.
Officer sold cocaine on the job
The affidavit provides additional details about how the tips in November led to Wednesday’s arrest.
Jeff Ladd, a Raleigh police detective and DEA task force officer, submitted the affidavit. He’s been assigned to the Atlanta Field Division and Raleigh Field Office since June 2021.
In late January, federal agents arranged for one of the vetted confidential sources to buy two ounces, or 56 grams of cocaine, for $2,600, according to the affidavit. Agents gave the informant the money to buy the drugs using Raleigh Police Department informant funds, the affidavit said.
The sale occurred on or about Jan. 24, at an abandoned car dealership on Capital Boulevard where Rodriguez was parked in his patrol car between two abandoned buildings, the affidavit said. The informant spoke to Rodriguez through his right passenger window, and the transaction was recorded on audio and video and observed live by agents.
The source confirmed to federal agents that the transaction for cocaine was successful, and that Rodriguez had his service weapon on him, a Sig Sauer 9 mm P320 handgun. Video footage from his in-car camera also confirmed that he had his service weapon at the time.
Rodriguez offered to follow the informant to their destination to offer security, the affidavit states, but instead returned to the Raleigh Police Department station.
The cocaine was then placed into police evidence, and submitted to the City-County Bureau of Identification, where lab tests determined it to be 56.29 grams of cocaine.
CBS17, citing an internal email sent to the police department, first reported Rodriguez’s arrest Wednesday.
Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge at the Drug Enforcement Administration, also spoke at the news conference.
Easley commended Raleigh police for spearheading the investigation.
“While I am disturbed by today’s events, I will not allow the alleged actions of one to define the Raleigh Police Department or discredit the outstanding work that our employees do on a daily basis,” Patterson said. “I will continue to hold my officers and myself accountable to the highest standard of conduct, both on and off duty.”
Earlier this week, a separate issue concerning a Raleigh police officer also reached federal court.
On Monday, a federal lawsuit was filed against police alleging that Omar Abdullah, a fired Raleigh police detective, and others conspired to fabricate heroin trafficking offenses that led to an illegal raid, excessive force and the false imprisonment of 10 Black women and children, The News & Observer reported.
Abdullah, was was fired at the end of October, and a confidential informant together sent about a dozen Black men to jail on drug trafficking charges from Nov. 29, 2019, to May 21, 2020, for drugs that turned out to be fake, court documents state.
The lawsuit filed in the U.S. Eastern District of North Carolina names as defendants the city of Raleigh, the fired detective’s police colleagues and his supervisor.
On Thursday, Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin praised Patterson’s handling of the recent investigation and commented in general about the police department issues.
“Our police department contacted the appropriate authorities when they learned about this, the DEA,” she said, “and I think have sent a strong message that this type of behavior or other types of behavior will not be tolerated.”
It isn’t fair “to characterize all the good people who work at RPD” by the actions of a few, Baldwin said.
“The police chief has handled herself very well, and handled this swiftly and very proactively, and has gotten the appropriate agencies involved,” she said. “And I think that she has demonstrated her strength and the strength of her convictions. She has sent a very clear message that this will not be tolerated.”
Staff writer Anna Johnson contributed to this story.
This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 10:07 PM.
