JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters announced the arrest of a now-former corrections officer, along with the arrest of 16 others as part of a Duval County jail drug smuggling conspiracy, in a press conference held Tuesday at noon.
Former Corrections Officer Kobe Collett, 23, was arrested Monday, Waters announced. He resigned upon his arrest.
Collett faces charges of introduction and/or possession of contraband into a county detention facility, money laundering, unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior and three counts of criminal conspiracy. He was employed by JSO for two years and four months, according to Waters; his date of hire was Dec. 6, 2021.
The six-month-long investigation, dubbed the name 'Operation Snow Globe,' netted the arrest of Collett's sister, a city of Jacksonville public works employee and 14 jail inmates as well, as Waters said "there are seven outstanding arrest warrants for other individuals criminally involved."
Collett's sister, Elisha Hughes, 25, was also arrested on Monday. Waters said she also profited off the distribution of illegal drugs within the jail. The charges she's facing are listed below:
- Three counts of criminal conspiracy
- Money laundering
Waters said the operation spanned six months and utilized the JSO Narcotics Unit and the "advance investigative resources of JSO's Integrity Unit, a specialized unit with expertise in handling highly sensitive investigations into public officials and police corruption."
In October 2023, Waters said JSO's Integrity Unit received information from a confidential source that Collett was delivering various narcotics substances to inmates housed in the jail.
"On Oct. 23, we quickly stripped him of all his authority as correctional officer and removed him from the jail," Waters said during the press conference."
On Jan. 2, 2024, the city of Jacksonville public works employee, Corey Copeland, 46, was arrested. Waters said he sold drugs to inmates who were serving on work crews under his supervision. He faces charges of selling schedule one or two synthetic narcotics, selling marijuana and giving or receiving any drug or controlled substance to an inmate of the county detention facility.
During the operation, police reviewed video evidence, conducted "extensive witness interviews" and examined financial records, according to Waters.
Charges for the 14 inmates arrested include one count of trafficking in fentanyl, 14 counts of giving or receiving any drug or control substance to an inmate of a county detention facility, 13 counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
"To be clear, we cannot affirmatively connect all these individuals' arrest to the literal narcotics distribution spearheaded by Collett," Waters said. "It is however, the confidential information provided to integrity detectives concerning Collett's illegal activities coupled with proactive efforts by JSO Narcotics [Unit] which launched this investigation."
The sheriff said due to the conspiracy, JSO has reconsidered its security measures and implemented changes regarding the movement of some people in and out of the jail.
Collet's arrest is the fifth arrest of a JSO officer by the sheriff's office this year.
