Former Miami Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Federal Drug Charge

MIAMI, FL — A former Miami police officer who brazenly declared in an undercover recording that she didn't care if she was protecting a "dead body cut up in pieces," has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge after being accused of accepting thousands of dollars in what she believed was drug money to protect cocaine and opioid operations in the city, according to federal officials.

Former Officer Schonton Harris pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute it, explained Special Agent Michael Leverock and spokesman Jim Marshall of the FBI in Miami.

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Two other former Miami officers, Kelvin Harris and James Archibald, also have been charged in the scheme. The alleged illegal activities took place between April and October of 2018.

On another occasion, Harris was accused of selling a Miami Police uniform to an undercover FBI employee posing as a high-level drug trafficker for $1,000 and a city of Miami police badge for $500 with the understanding they would be used by a hit man.

She also allegedly said that Archibald — one of the other two officers she recruited — would simply "disappear" if he presented an issue.

Sentencing for Harris is scheduled for April 3. The investigation involved the use of a confidential human source, undercover FBI personnel and other law enforcement officers, government officials said.

"The investigation also revealed that one officer, Schonton Harris, used and dealt narcotics while she was a police officer," U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan when the charges were announced in December. "She used to rig the testing so that she would be able to give a clear sample test if ever asked by the department."

Court documents said that investigators used video and audio recordings to establish that the former officers collectively provided protection for the transportation and distribution of purported cocaine, opioids or drug proceeds.

The charges were announced by Miami Police Chief Jorge R. Colina, Fajardo Orshan, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and FBI Special Agent Robert Lasky of the Miami Field Division.

Court documents said that the officers received cash payments after each protection detail.

"In total, Schonton Harris received $17,000 in bribe payments, Kelvin Harris received $10,000 in bribe payments and James Archibald received a total of $6,500 in bribe payments," court documents said.

The investigation was conducted by the Internal Affairs Section of the Miami Police Department and the FBI Miami Area Corruption Task Force.

The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.

From left to right: James Archibald, Schonton Harris and Kelvin Harris. Photos courtesy Miami Police Department.