Cop Swapped Kilo of Cocaine With Fake From 3D Printer

A Florida police officer has been sentenced to more than 17 years behind bars after pleading guilty to stealing drugs, cash, and firearms from federal investigations and admitting that he once went so far as to swap cocaine seized by the US Drug Enforcement Administration with a fake kilo made from a 3D printer.

• James Hickox, a sergeant with the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, was arrested in 2023 along with Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Joshua Earrey on charges of possession with intent to sell drugs, the AP reports. Both had been assigned to a DEA-led task force in Jacksonville. Earrey is scheduled to be sentenced in April.

• As part of his plea agreement, Hickox, 38, admitted to receiving more than $420,000 for routinely stealing and selling marijuana, cocaine, and other drugs seized as part of DEA operations and then falsely claiming the evidence had been destroyed following normal procedure.
• He also confessed that in 2022, he swapped a kilogram of cocaine seized by the DEA with a brick made from a 3D printer sprinkled with real cocaine to make it look legitimate. Hickox said he then gave the real cocaine to a Jacksonville drug trafficker who sold it for around $20,000. About half that amount was paid to Hickox.
• Hickox also admitted to routinely breaking into DEA evidence bags, stealing thousands of dollars in cash, and then resealing the bags.

• When authorities searched Hickox's house, they found cocaine, methamphetamine pills and a powdery substance containing fentanyl, as well as several firearms that had been seized during law enforcement operations. The narcotics were found in a converted garage labeled "Gator's Man Cave."
• Hickox's father said the stress of his work for the DEA, dealing with criminal informants on a daily basis and being surrounded by large amounts of cash and drugs, contributed to his son's descent into criminality. He said the DEA needs to provide mental health counseling to properly vet its workforce and prevent other criminals from abusing the public's trust.

(More Drug Enforcement Administration stories.)