CHICAGO COP CHARGED IN DRUG RING

CHICAGO (AP) A veteran police officer was among 10 people charged Wednesday
with running a drug ring that allegedly distributed millions of dollars
worth of cocaine and heroin between Chicago and Miami.

Joseph Miedzianowski, 45, was arrested Wednesday as he reported to work at
the Chicago police department's gang crimes unit.

Miedzianowski, an officer for 22 years, brokered drug deals, served as a
go-between with feuding drug lords and eventually took over daily control
of the operation, prosecutors said.

Miedzianowski's lawyer, Phillip Turner, denied the charges. Turner said his
client whose telephone conversations were taped by the FBI was in contact
with the other suspects only as part of his own undercover police work.

"This is just some fairy tale that the FBI has dredged up from fragments of
conversations," Turner said after Miedzianowski was led away in handcuffs.
"This is an excellent police officer."

Prosecutors said Miedzianowski took as much as $22,000 a month from drug
dealers to intentionally throw his fellow officers off their trail and gave
stolen guns and ammunition from the Cook County Sheriff's Department
shooting range to known criminals.

"This is something we haven't seen before," said U.S. Attorney Scott
Lassar, who noted that other Chicago police officers have been convicted of
helping drug dealers avoid investigators but not distributing the drugs
themselves.

All 10 are charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute more than 100
kilograms of cocaine, which prosecutors say has a wholesale value of $2
million, and unspecified amounts of heroin.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole for
each defendant.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski