Fresno Deputy Police Chief Keith Foster, a 29-year vet with the department, was among four people arrested on Thursday on federal drug charges, including an alleged plot to distribute oxycodone and heroin, the FBI has revealed, according to the Associated Press.
The 51-year-old deputy was arrested and charged alongside Fresno residents Rafael Guzman, Jennifer Donebedian and Randy Flowers, the site notes. The arrests are the culmination of a yearlong investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that included wiretaps and surveillance, the agency said.
Foster, who has been deputy chief for eight years, oversaw patrol operations for the department, AP notes. He is currently on paid administrative leave while an internal investigation by the Fresno police is under way.
“This is a very sad day for the Fresno Police Department, the citizens of Fresno, the law-enforcement profession and for me personally,” Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said, according to AP.
The wire notes that in Dec. 2014, Foster made a phone call to Flowers, saying that he had “100 of those things” for him, according to an affidavit. Foster allegedly picked up a prescription for oxycodone tablets at Rite Aid before driving back to Flowers’ home.
Flowers, according to AP, has a rap sheet that includes a conviction for possession of cocaine meant for sale and a conviction for delivery of a Schedule II controlled substance.
Read more at the Daily Mail.