JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI — A jury in Jackson, Mississippi acquitted Greenville Police Department officer Chaka Gaines of aiding and abetting a drug trafficking bribery scheme. Gaines had been charged with aiding and abetting the possession, transportation and distribution of illegal narcotics and using a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. During the trial, a judge dismissed the firearm-related charge against Gaines for insufficient evidence.

"This verdict reflects a fundamental principle that the government must prove that a crime occurred; it cannot create one," said Bridgette Morgan, a lawyer for Gaines.

Federal indictments filed in October allege that 14 current or former Mississippi law enforcement officers took bribes from an FBI agent posing as a member of a Mexican drug cartel. The bribes were allegedly in exchange for helping to transport 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of cocaine through Mississippi Delta counties into Memphis.

The alleged scheme involved 20 people, including two sheriffs. Six other people, three in Mississippi and three in Tennessee, were also charged. The indictments included officers from multiple law enforcement agencies in the Mississippi Delta region, which includes the western portion of central and north Mississippi.

Six current or former Mississippi law enforcement officers have pleaded guilty to charges in the alleged scheme. Martavis Moore, Jamario Sanford, Marvin Flowers, Dequarian Smith, Brandon Addison and Javery Howard, who were law enforcement officers at the time of the alleged crimes, accepted plea deals and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to aid and abet the possession, transportation and distribution of illegal narcotics.

Sean Williams, a law enforcement officer at the time, has filed a notice of his intent to change his plea. Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston and Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams, along with six other defendants, are scheduled to face trial this summer.