Gwinnett County

Former deputy sentenced to 10 years in prison for drug trafficking

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A former sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for stealing $100k worth of drugs.

Former Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Deputy Antione Riggins was charged with drug trafficking and making a false statement to cover up his crimes in October 2019.

Police told Channel 2′s Tony Thomas he seized drugs from drug dealers and was supposed to turn them in to his department. Instead, he profited off of them.

Prosecutors say on at least two occasions, drugs seized by a federal task force that Riggins was assigned to were given to him to be checked into a jail evidence room.

In one instance, only one of three kilos arrived. In another, a large stash of meth vanished.

“Riggins put dangerous drugs back on the street after they had been seized by law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “He violated the most basic oath of officers to protect the public. His conviction and sentence is a victory for the rule of law, and it shows that there are severe consequences for abusing the public’s trust.”

Before his arrest, Riggins was an officer with Homeland Security Investigations and also a deputy sheriff with the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office. His job was to investigate drug trafficking cases and transport seized drugs from HSI crime scenes to the GCSO evidence room.

After serving his 10 years, Riggins will be on supervised release for five years.