When Henry Bryant and Daniel Mack were caught last year trying to transport a few kilos of cocaine, the arrest sent shock waves well beyond the usual coke bust. That's because Bryant was a Miami Beach firefighter and Mack was a Miami-Dade cop. Their arrest came in a public corruption smackdown that also netted a half-dozen code compliance officers and eventually cost Miami Beach City Manager Jorge Gonzalez his job.
Bryant and Mack were sentenced yesterday for their role in the caper, earning 22 and 15 years in prison, respectively.
See also:
-- Seven Miami Beach Code Inspectors and Firefighters (Plus a Dade Cop) Busted for Nightclub and Cocaine Shenanigans
-- Thanks to Jorge Gonzalez, Miami Beach Is Now Dade's Most Corrupt Town
"Public corruption at any level will not be tolerated, including when public servants violate the community's trust by transporting what they believe to be cocaine," said Michael B. Steinbach, the acting special agent in charge of Miami's FBI division, in a release on the sentencing.
Bryant and Mack were caught thanks to the firefighter's role in the other corruption case, in which Miami Beach code inspectors were shaking down a South Beach nightclub for cash to ignore violations.
The club owner tipped off the feds, who recruited an undercover agent to trap the corrupt officials. Bryant later discussed the possibility of setting up a coke shipment with police protection.
When the undercover officer helped set up a fake shipment, Bryant went for it. With Mack's help, he transported almost 20 kilos of what he thought was cocaine while Mack protected him in his Dade police cruiser.
In exchange, they earned $25,000. And now, a couple decades in prison.
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