MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WMOT) -- A Rutherford County Sheriff’s Deputy has been charged with conspiring to distribute cocaine.
Deputy Luis Reynoldo Parra Flores was charged by federal authorities yesterday after a joint DEA, Nashville Police operation arrested Flores when he tried to take possession of five kilograms of cocaine from a drug courier at Nashville International Airport on March 13.
DEA agents intercepted the drug courier at the airport, then set up a sting operation to catch the distributor. They were surprised when the man they arrested was carrying a Rutherford County Deputy’s badge and a service weapon.
Sheriff Robert Arnold is quoted in a federal press release saying that Flores had “failed the citizens of Rutherford County.” Arnold went on to apologize to county residents and then said that Flores had been fired and his badge destroyed.
“Our badge represents - not only our office, but our community, and protecting our community – and he let our community down. To me he let everybody down so that badge just needs to be destroyed and never worn again by any law enforcement officer, ever.”
If convicted, Flores faces a sentence of ten years to life in prison and a $10 million fine.