A former Philadelphia police officer pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to conspiring with corrupt Baltimore police officers who funneled illegal drugs to him to sell in Philadelphia.
Eric Snell, 34, who was a Baltimore officer before he joined the Philadelphia force, had originally pleaded not guilty and was in the middle of a jury trial in Baltimore when he admitted to taking drugs from a Baltimore detective to then be sold by Snell’s brother in Philadelphia.
Snell had been with the Philadelphia Police Department for three years when he was fired late last year after being charged in the Baltimore corruption case.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 30 and faces a maximum of 20 years.
Eight members of the Baltimore Police Department Gun Trace Task Force have been convicted as a result of the investigation.
“Prosecuting law enforcement officers is painful, but necessary … No one is above the law,” said Maryland U.S. Attorney Robert Hur.
From October 2016 through June 2017, Snell conspired with Jemell Rayam, a former detective with the task force, to sell drugs seized by Baltimore officers.
