Authorities say a former Washington police officer who spent time working for the DEA was arrested for the second time in less than a year last month after his life took a dark turn and he planned to become a drug kingpin.
Mitchel J. Wright, who joined the King County Sheriff's Department in 2002, was fired last year after being accused of stealing drug evidence while working undercover for the DEA. He was arrested on Feb. 11 after selling drugs to undercover officers on separate occasions. He reportedly bragged that he'd never be caught because knew every police tactic. His hubris was his downfall.
Wright, 33, resigned last July after a cop discovered a woman injecting herself with heroin inside of a vehicle registered to Wright. She told police that she lived with Wright and worked for him as an informant, and a subsequent search of the vehicle produced drugs and drug paraphernalia.
An internal investigation revealed that Wright was giving strippers heroin and methamphetamine to persuade them to work as drug dealers for him. His ultimate goal was to dominate the area drug trade using his authority, knowledge of the underworld and access to evidence.
After being placed on administrative leave, Wright resigned. Later that month, King County deputies discovered three baggies bearing DEA case numbers inside of his old police car. Each tested positive for heroin. It's estimated that Wright seized between $36,450 and $52,490 worth of drugs during his stint with the DEA and never turned them in as evidence.
For his most recent arrest, Wright was charged with distribution of over five grams of meth and conspiracy to distribute meth. If convicted, he faces up to 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine.
[via Gawker and MyNorthwest.com]
