Guilty of Drug Trafficking: Policeman Goes to Prison

A policeman is going to jail - and he will face the maximum penalty for drug trafficking. Thirty-one year old police officer Edward Higinio - an 8 year veteran of the department - was today found guilty of drug trafficking charges. On August 31st of 2001 in an unusual sequence of events, Officer Higinio, who was conducting police business at the time, was pulled in at a checkpoint at the Burrel Boom cut-off by some of his colleagues. He was taken to the Queen Street Police Station where he was stripped and searched. Police discovered 15.8 grams of what turned out to be cocaine tucked in his boot. Higinio testified that the drugs had been planted on him and that he was being set up. That conspiracy theory did little to help his case and in court today Magistrate Dorothy Flowers let him know it! She said that he was clearly lying and that his conduct was appalling for a man who is charged with the responsibility to uphold the law. With that she sentenced him to five years imprisonment and additionally fined him 15,000 dollars, one of the stiffest penalties we've seen for trafficking what is about an ounce of crack. Edward Higinio was undefended today, but we are told that Simeon Sampson will be seeking an appeal for him.