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A North Carolina police officer has been charged for allegedly selling drugs out of his patrol car while on duty. Prosecutors said they received information in November 2021 from two confidential sources that Raleigh police officer Keven Rodriguez, 33, was selling illegal drugs, including cocaine.
Officials launched an investigation, and on January 24, an undercover officer arranged to meet with Rodriguez to purchase illegal narcotics. The undercover agent said that Rodriguez met him at an abandoned car dealership in his patrol. He was wearing his uniform and carrying his duty firearm.
The agent then purchased 56 grams of cocaine in exchange for $2,600 in cash.
Rodriguez, who has been with the force since July 2018, was taken into custody and charged with distributing cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Eastern District of North Carolina.
"The arrest of Mr. Rodriguez is a disappointment to me, the Raleigh Police Department, and the citizens and residents of our community," Raleigh Police Chief Estella D. Patterson said. "I have been resolute in my words and now in my actions to hold employees accountable for any behavior that violates public trust and brings this department into disrepute."
If convicted, Rodriguez faces a maximum of five years behind bars.