DEA Officer Who 3D-Printed Cocaine Sentenced to 17 Years
A former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officer and Nassau County sheriff’s deputy, James Darrell Hickox, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for running a drug-dealing operation while working in law enforcement. His crimes included stealing cocaine from an evidence locker and replacing it with a 3D-printed fake brick.
Hickox was arrested in 2023 and pleaded guilty in 2024 to several charges, including drug theft, distributing drugs to street dealers, and tax evasion. He made over $420,000 selling drugs, which also led to trouble with the IRS for not paying taxes on his illegal earnings.
His methods were not sophisticated. Hickox and other officers staged drug busts and traffic stops targeting known drug dealers. Instead of turning in all the confiscated drugs and money, they kept a portion for themselves. In one case, they stole more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana from an evidence locker, falsely claimed it had been destroyed, and sold it instead.
One of his most bizarre schemes involved stealing a kilogram of cocaine and replacing it with a fake brick made with a 3D printer. To make it look real, he sprinkled some actual cocaine on it, hoping no one would notice the difference. This trick was as flimsy as a teenager stuffing pillows under their blankets to sneak out at night.
When authorities raided Hickox’s home, they found multiple weapons taken from evidence lockers, including an illegally modified machine gun. His garage, labeled Gator’s Man Cave, contained large amounts of drugs: 260 meth pills and 263 grams of a cocaine-fentanyl mixture.
In court, Hickox claimed he was motivated by a Breaking Bad-style desperation. He said he had been diagnosed with cancer and wanted to leave money for his family. However, the judge, Wendy Berger, wasn’t convinced. "I recognize the cancer diagnosis and health issues, but I don’t see how that causes an individual to engage in what you did. I’m having a hard time with that," she said.
Hickox’s parents, however, blamed the DEA. In an interview, his father argued that working undercover in the drug world had turned his son into a real dealer. “They have to live two lives. You’re out slingin’ dope for the DEA and then you go home and be a family man,” he said. “He was a drug dealer for 10 years. If he hadn’t had a badge…that’s the job DEA has him doin’…he was a drug dealer. So he becomes a drug dealer and everyone’s actin’ surprised.”
Despite these claims, the court held Hickox fully responsible for his actions. Now, instead of selling drugs on the street, he will be serving time behind bars.
