LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Five Arkansas law enforcement officers arrested in a sweeping federal corruption investigation have pleaded not guilty to charges they guarded drug shipments moving across state lines.
The officers are among 70 people indicted as part of "Operation Delta Blues." Dozens of those charged are appearing in federal court in Little Rock on Thursday.
The four police officers and one sheriff's deputy are accused of accepting bribes to watch over shipments of cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine. Investigators say the drugs were distributed across points in Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Helena-West Helena police officers Herman Eaton, Robert "Bam Bam" Rogers and Marlene Kalb; Marvell officer Robert Wahls; and Phillips County deputy sheriff Winston Dean Jackson all remain in custody pending bond hearings Friday or early next week.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
