HAMMOND | A former downstate police officer was sentenced Friday to 40 years in federal prison for his role in a region drug dealing and weapons conspiracy, prosecutors announced.
John Smith, 56, of Indianapolis, was convicted in June of felony dealing of cocaine, two counts of attempting to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, two counts of possessing firearms in the furtherance of drug crimes and transferring firearms knowing they would be used in drug crimes, prosecutors confirmed in a news release.
Smith, who was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court used police credentials and firearms to protect illegal drug shipments, the release states.
Former Brooklyn, Ind., Town Marshal Terry Carlyle previously agreed to plead guilty to a cocaine distribution conspiracy charge in the same case and cooperated in the government investigation. In September, Carlyle was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Smith and Carlyle were arrested in April 2011 after an investigation by multiple federal and local agencies, including the Gary, Hammond, East Chicago and Lake County police departments.
"We will continue to investigate public corruption, including police corruption, and will vigorously prosecute and, upon conviction, seek substantial sentences for officers ... who abuse the public trust," U.S. Attorney David Capp said in the news release.