Miami cops who idolized ‘Bad Boys’ charged in cocaine-trafficking operation

Roderick Flowers and Keith Edwards allegedly worked as hired protection for a cocaine-trafficking operation

Oct 31, 2020

Roderick Flowers and Keith Edwards worked as cops for the Miami-Dade Police Department. Now, they’ve been arrested on charges of being associated with drug trafficking, as reported by The Miami Herald.

Flowers and Edwards were assigned to the Miami-Dade Priority Response Unit. Both idolized the characters from the film Bad Boys, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as Miami detectives. The pair even dressed like the characters for Halloween in 2019. Edwards captioned a photo of them in costume with: “We ride together. We die together. Bad Boys 4 Life.”

What’s more, the Miami Herald reported Flowers used the name of Smith’s character, “Mike Lowrey,” on his Instagram account, which has since been scrubbed.

(Screenshot captured by the Miami Herald/Instagram)

The two cops were allegedly working as hired protection for a cocaine-trafficking operation, which included accused money launderer Manuel Carlos Hernandez. According to reports, Hernandez’s operation was set up by a sting led by undercover agents and a confidential source.

The source had arranged for Hernandez to transfer a shipment of cocaine from Hempstead to Aventura in September. Flowers and Edwards were recruited by Hernandez to transport the “white girl” — slang for cocaine. The drugs were fake, however, and Flowers, Edwards and Hernandez were arrested soon after.

Miami-Dade police officers Roderick Flowers and Keith Edwards were arrested on charges of being associated with drug trafficking. (Photo: Screenshot captured by Miami Herald/Instagram)

Flowers and Edwards were charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess cocaine. Hernandez is being charged with conspiracy and money laundering. The arrest was a result of a six-month investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), that also saw the arrest of Trevanti McLeod, and Durojaiye Obafemi Monsuru Lawal who were also alleged to be involved in money laundering.

The source had been dealing with Hernandez, McLeod and Lawal over the summer, arranging for several deals of laundering drug money. Those meetings were recorded.

Flowers, whose father and sister are also police officers, was released on bail and will be detained at home while he awaits trial.

Edwards, who is an ex-soldier, tested positive for COVID-19 and remains in isolation at Miami’s Federal Detention Center. He will seek to post bail, but it is unclear when that will happen.

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