MIAMI
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Two Miami-Dade police officers were among 20 people arrested Wednesday, accused of operating a cocaine ring in Miami's Liberty City.
Officer Michael King, 42, is a 19-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Police Department who worked as a patrolman in the county's northside district. Officer Antonio Roberts is a 27-year veteran of the department.
Federal prosecutors allege that King and Roberts conspired with a ring of drug dealers operating in Liberty City, using their positions and knowledge of police operations to help the ring sell and distribute powder and crack cocaine.
Another one of the men accused is Marvin Coney, a former Miami-Dade County jail guard.
Prosecutors name the ringleader as Ricardo Munoz.
They said between February and April, the officers would tip off members of the drug gang to warn them where and when police activity was planned.
During an incident April 2, prosecutors described how King warned Coney to shut down business because of an operation being conducted by the Miami-Dade Police Department's tactical narcotics team in the area.
"Officer King actually held up the phone to the police radio so defendant Coney could hear the dispatch calls related to the tactical narcotics team operations," said Alex Acosta, United States attorney for the southern district of Florida.
"In 27 years of policing, you essentially get to know almost everybody in the department," said Miami-Dade police Director Robert Parker, who personally knows both accused officers. "That's a conscious, deliberate thought and decision to turn on those individuals."
Some of the 19 people facing a 17-count federal indictment also face state charges including drug, gambling and organized crime offenses. Both police officers face federal and state charges.
According to arrest documents, agents used wiretapping to document King accepting bets on basketball games. They said he dispersed hundreds of dollars in winnings to his clients from inside his patrol car, working for Munoz.
