NYPD Officer from Hauppauge charged with helping drug smugglers

NYPD Officer from Hauppauge charged with helping drug smugglers

FILE - In this Dec. 31, 2015, file photo, a New York City police officer sits in a cruiser at a checkpoint surrounding Times Square during New Year's Eve celebrations in New York. The vast majority of complaints about New York City police officers' mistreatment of youths stemmed from encounters with black and Hispanic children, according to a new study by the city’s police watchdog agency. Nearly two-thirds of youth complaints to the Civilian Complaint Review Board involved children of color, the report says, including some “stopped for seemingly innocuous activities such as playing, high-fiving, running, carrying backpacks, and jaywalking." (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City police officer has been charged with aiding drug traffickers who smuggled hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into the United States. Officer Amaury Abreu of Long Island is accused of explaining law enforcement methods to the drug ring and performing warrant checks on its members. Abreu did not have a defense attorney who could comment on the charges Monday. Federal prosecutors also charged two high-ranking members of the New York-based group and the owner of a Long Island produce company accused of receiving cocaine concealed in cardboard tomato boxes.

Read more about the charges, here.

Photo: (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)