attorney

NYPD Officer Accused of Helping Transport Cocaine in Exchange for Money: DA

What to Know

  • An NYPD officer is accused of helping transport cocaine in exchange for money, authorities say
  • Johnny Diaz was indicted for allegedly helping to transport a kilogram of cocaine for $4,000
  • Diaz is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree; NYPD says the investigation is ongoing

An NYPD officer is accused of helping transport cocaine in exchange for money, authorities say.

Officer Johnny Diaz, assigned to the NYPD’s 34th Precinct’s Anti-Crime Unit, was indicted for allegedly helping to transport a kilogram of cocaine in exchange for $4,000, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. announced Monday.

According to the indictment and statements made on the record in court, on May 23, Diaz arrested an individual he believed to be a drug dealer who was actually an undercover NYPD officer, officials say.

The undercover officer was investigating allegations that Diaz, 48, accepted money from arrestees to help get their criminal cases dismissed.

Diaz allegedly seized half a kilogram of cocaine and $18,000 cash from the undercover officer, but only logged the receipt of $17,000 in cash.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More

Following the arrest, officials allege that Diaz began socializing with the undercover officer, gave him his cellphone number and instructed the undercover officer to use the encrypted messaging service WhatsApp to contact him.

Additionally, during the investigation, Diaz allegedly accepted a bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label scotch from the undercover officer as a thank-you gift for removing the undercover officer’s cell phone from the evidence room.

According to the district attorney’s office, Diaz also agreed to help get the undercover officer’s case dismissed in exchange for about $20,000 in cash —$7,500 of which he accepted as a down payment.

Authorities say that on June 15, Diaz accepted $4,000 to help the undercover officer transport cocaine from the Bronx to the corner of West 125th Street and Broadway in Harlem. He also allegedly instructed the undercover officer to drive slowly, avoid talking on the phone and to tell any police officers who might stop him to talk to Diaz, who was behind the undercover cop in a transport vehicle.

Top Tri-State News Photos

After allegedly transporting the drugs  — and while driving with the undercover officer to a nightclub in Northern Manhattan — Diaz was recorded saying, “I can do life for this…I should know better. I’m a cop,” authorities say.

Diaz is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree.

It is not immediately clear if he retained an attorney who could comment on the charges.

The indictment is the result of an ongoing, joint investigation led by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau.

The NYPD says the case is still under investigation. They could not confirm if there was intent to sell.

Contact Us