COLUMBUS, Ohio — One of the two officers with the Columbus Division of Police accused of stealing cocaine and giving it to others to sell pleaded not guilty in federal court on Thursday.
Joel Mefford, 34, was charged with possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, money laundering and two counts of possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. John Castillo, the second officer arrested, was charged with possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. He is scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 14.
Court documents say Mefford stole multiple kilograms of cocaine on different occasions in 2020 and gave the drugs to other people for them to sell it.
In one particular case, Mefford allegedly stole 20 kilograms of cocaine from the Columbus police property room and replaced it with fake cocaine.
Court documents also say Mefford deposited more than $72,000 in cash from the cocaine sales into his personal bank account.
Mayor Andrew Ginther and Police Chief Elaine Bryant both released statements condemning the alleged actions by both officers.
Mefford's trial is scheduled for April 8.
📺 10TV+ is available for free: Stay up to date on what's happening in your community with a 24/7 live stream and on demand content from 10TV — available on Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
📧 Subscribe to the Wake Up CBUS newsletter featuring the best stories, personally curated by members of our staff and delivered via email by 6 a.m., Monday through Friday.