Homeland Security agents charged after allegedly selling drugs confiscated as evidence
Share:
The FBI began investigating the special agents after one of their criminal informants claimed the duo had forced him into potentially illegal activity. A pair of Department of Homeland Security agents have been accused of using a confidential informant to sell illegal drugs that had been seized as evidence.
DHS special agents Nicholas Kindle and David Cole, who worked in Utah, will both face charges stemming from the alleged narcotics trafficking scheme. Cole was arrested three weeks ago after he was indicted by a grand jury in December. Kindle was arrested this week.
Federal prosecutors allege that both Kindle and Cole abused their authority, using their access to illicit drugs seized in evidence in their scheme under the false pretense that the drugs would be used as part of legitimate investigations. Kindle and Cole allegedly began the scheme in 2021. Prosecutors claim the pair also stole thousands of dollars of cash, a diamond ring, and an antique from Peru from law enforcement evidence lockups.
Between 2022 and 2024, the agents allegedly sold drugs known as “bath salts” to Homeland Security Investigations confidential sources for thousands of dollars and allowed those sources to resell the bath salts on the streets of Utah for a profit," according to prosecutors. The agents did not arrest the buyers who purchased the drugs.
The alleged operation brought in between $195,000 and $300,000, according to the FBI. The FBI alleged that the special agents used an encrypted messaging app to direct their middlemen to meeting locations, including mundane spots like a Panera Bread and a Nike store.
