Philadelphia Officer Is 9th Charged In Baltimore PD Racketeering Conspiracy
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Philadelphia police officer is the ninth officer to be arrested in connection with a major conspiracy by members of a gun task force with the Baltimore Police Department.
Former Baltimore PD and current Philadelphia PD officer Eric Troy Snell was arrested Tuesday, and charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and cocaine.
According to court documents, Snell went into the Baltimore Police Department training academy, and was a Baltimore PD officer until March 2008.
While he was at the academy, he met co-conspirator detective Jemell Rayam.
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Snell then joined the Philadelphia Police Department in September 2014, and between 2016 and 2017, the indictment alleges Snell and Rayam planned to sell cocaine and heroin that had been seized by members of the Gun Trace Task Force.
According to a release from the Department of Justice, task force members had seized nine ounces of cocaine in October 2016, after a suspect threw it out of his window during a high speed chase.
Instead of processing the evidence, Sgt. Wayne Jenkins reportedly told Rayam to sell the cocaine. Rayam then drove to Philadelphia and gave it to Snell, who gave it to his brother to sell.
Snell is also accused of selling 80 grams of heroin that Rayam had also gotten from Jenkins.
In October and November 2016, Snell reportedly deposited thousands of dollars into Rayam's bank account after the drugs were sold.
Following Rayam's arrest, Snell spoke to Rayam on the recorded jail phone system, and told Rayam that his brother had not said anything about their involvement in selling the drugs.
He also told Rayam to "say less" about their drug trafficking operation on recorded jail calls, so authorities would not find out.
Snell is also accused of saying he would "keep an eye" on Rayam's children, which Rayam took as a threat to harm his children is he said anything about Snell's involvement.
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