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Baltimore Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Heroin Trafficking

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- Dealing on duty. A Baltimore City police officer at the center of a heroin ring that flooded the city with drugs confesses to the crime.

Meghan McCorkell explains how police caught the dirty cop.

Officer Daniel Redd admits his involvement in a major heroin ring after an FBI investigation prompted by the Baltimore City Police Department.

By day, he patrolled the streets of Baltimore. But behind the badge, Officer Redd was a hardcore drug dealer.

Now, Redd -- one of the masterminds of a major heroin ring-- has pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

"This is one the more shocking cases that I've seen because of the nature of the conduct," U.S. Attorney Rod Rosenstein said.

According to FBI investigators, the heroin was flown in from Ghana, Africa. Redd got the drugs from supplier Tamim Mamah. Then he'd get it into the hands of street dealers.

The FBI wiretapped Redd's phone conversations. In some, the officer's police radio inside his cruiser can be heard in the background.

Redd admits at one point, he dealt drugs in the parking lot of the Northwestern District Precinct, while he was on a duty, in uniform, carrying his service weapon.

"It's kind of ridiculous for someone to be dealing drugs right there," Owen Douglas, who lives near the precinct, said.

"Yes, it makes all of them look bad," Marcia Bailey, who lives near the precinct, said.

Now, city officials are sending a message.

"Law enforcement officers need to obey the law and if they do not obey the law they're going to be dealt with the same way regular citizens will," Rosenstein said.

City police are cooperating with prosecutors.

Commissioner Fred Bealefeld tells WJZ he is "committed to taking the swiftest disciplinary action against the small minority of officers who dishonor the honor and integrity of this department."

If a judge approves the plea agreement, Redd will spend 20 years behind bars. He faced life in prison before reaching the agreement.

Sentencing for Daniel Redd has been set for June.

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