Free Talk Live

Federal authorities have arrested a New York Police Department officer on charges he helped a crew of bandits rob drug dealers.

Prosecutors in Brooklyn alleged Thursday that Emmanuel Tavarez supplied the crew with NYPD raid jackets, bulletproof vests, handcuffs and badges so they could impersonate police officers during staged raids on drug dens in Queens and elsewhere.

They say he also acted as a lookout during armed holdups that netted hundreds of kilograms of cocaine.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents arrested the 30-year-old Tavarez on Wednesday. He was to be arraigned Thursday afternoon.