Sheriff Under Scrutiny over Drug Money Spending
JUNE 18, 200812:49 PM ET
HEARD ON ALL THINGS CONSIDERED
By John Burnett
The last of a four-part series
Camden County Sheriff Bill Smith is being investigated by a federal grand jury over questions about his spending of forfeiture funds.
Courtesy of The Camden County Sheriff’s Office
Lt. William Terrell of the Camden County Sheriff’s Office with their $90,000 Viper, used in anti-drug programs. A sign on the car’s bumper notes it was bought using seized drug money.
John Burnett/NPR
A Primer on Dirty Money
For an explanation of how drug asset seizures work, read our FAQ.
Sgt. Chris Sears of the Camden County Sheriff’s Office stands next to one of the agency’s new river patrol boats bought with seized drug funds.
John Burnett/NPR
Operation Tarnished Badge
The Fayetteville Observer
Media Awareness Project
Appalachian State University
Camden County, Ga., is famous for Cumberland Island National Seashore, the Kings Bay Submarine Base, the historic town of St. Mary’s … and Sheriff Bill Smith. The tanned, white-haired lawman is now running for his seventh term. It’s a dynasty, as his father and grandfather were Camden County sheriffs before him.
The 70-year-old sheriff’s career has been bolstered by his remarkable success at seizing drug money off of Interstate 95, which runs north and south through the county. Over the past 15 years, his highway interdiction team has grabbed more than $20 million from drug-money couriers. The law lets police keep up to 80 percent of the money they collect.
Now, Smith is the subject of a federal grand jury investigation into whether he misused the forfeiture funds.
