He Was a Star at Busting Drug Traffickers, Then Became One

Freddie Wayne Huff was once a model cop, hailed as a "superstar" for his knack at sniffing out drug smugglers on North Carolina highways—a reputation that brought millions in cash seizures and made him a DEA-certified instructor. But Huff's career crashed in 2014 when he was fired for selling police gear online, leaving him bitter and blacklisted from law enforcement, per a deep dive by Ahmed Jallow for the Assembly. That bitterness, paired with an apparent entrepreneurial streak, paved the way for his next act: drug kingpin. Using skills honed during his 12 years as a police officer, Huff built a trafficking empire stretching from the Texas border to Philadelphia, complete with appliances packed with cocaine and heroin and a network drawing on a former cell phone tech and ex-military members as accomplices.

Huff's connections reached deep into cartels like Los Zetas and Jalisco, and he supplied dealers across the Southeast, living large in luxury homes and driving a Lamborghini. But the empire began to crumble after a partner's murder and mounting law enforcement pressure. In a bold but ultimately desperate move, Huff and a cohort posed as US marshals to raid a home in an attempt to recover stolen drugs and cash. The ruse fell apart, and Huff was soon arrested. In court, the 43-year-old acknowledged his role but played down the edge his law enforcement background supposedly gave him. Prosecutors disagreed, crediting Huff's police know-how for his ability to outsmart border agents and move massive quantities of drugs. US District Judge Catherine Eagles handed down a 21-year prison sentence—a result Huff called a lottery win compared to life behind bars. More here.