GREENVILLE — Two former law enforcement officers pleaded guilty Wednesday to charges tied to a federal crackdown on drug trafficking in the Mississippi Delta.

Former Humphreys County deputy Dequarian Smith, 29, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges for conspiring to protect a transport of illegal drugs through portions of the Mississippi Delta between August and September of 2022. At the time, Smith was also an officer with the Isola Police Department.

On Sept. 14, 2022, Smith accepted a $500 bribe from a regional drug dealer and FBI informant in Sunflower County in exchange for protection of an illegal transport of drugs.

Smith said he resigned from the Humphreys County Sheriff’s Office and the Isola Police Department in January 2023.

Former Greenville police officer Martavis Moore, 32, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting as well as attempting to aid and abet a March 2023 transport of illegal drugs through Greenville. He accepted a $5,000 bribe from an FBI agent who posed as a member of a Mexican drug cartel to protect a transport of illegal drugs.

Under federal guidelines, Smith can be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison, and Moore could be sentenced to 10 years to life in prison. Smith also faces up to a $1 million fine, while Moore could be charged up to $10,000. 

On Oct. 30, the U.S. Department of Justice unsealed six indictments, which ensnared more than 14 former and current Mississippi Delta law enforcement officers, including two sheriffs, on drug trafficking charges. At least eight Mississippi Delta law enforcement agencies had officers indicted.

As part of their plea agreements, Moore and Smith were charged with one count each. Moore was initially charged with one count of carrying or using a firearm during a trafficking crime. 

U.S. Chief Judge Debra M. Brown of the Northern District of Mississippi accepted both guilty pleas and scheduled sentencing for Moore on May 20 and Smith on May 27.

Judge Brown released Moore and Smith on the conditions of their $10,000 unsecured bonds after their Oct. 30 arrests.

Moore declined to comment. Smith could not immediately be reached for comment.