Sheriff: 17 arrested in drug investigation tied to jail, including former JSO corrections officer

Chase Berger
·1 min read
2

Seventeen people--including a former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Corrections Officer and a City of Jacksonville Public Works employee--have been arrested after a six-month-long investigation, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Water said Operation Snow Globe began in October after JSO’s Integrity Unit received information from a confidential informant that then Corrections Officer Kobe Collett was delivering narcotics to inmates inside the Duval County Jail.

The Integrity Unit and Narcotics Unit promptly began an investigation.

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On Oct. 23, 2023, Collett was stripped of all authority and removed from the jail.

The investigation also revealed Collett’s sister Elisha Hughes was involved, as well as Jacksonville Public Works employee Corey Copeland, Waters said.

Collett and Hughes were both arrested Monday.

Copeland was arrested on Jan. 3, 2024, according to JSO’s Inmate Information Search.

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Collett was employed by JSO for two years and four months before resigning yesterday.

Sheriff Waters said 14 inmates were also arrested because of the investigation.

Waters noted police cannot affirmatively connect all 14 inmate arrests to the distribution of narcotics by Collett.

There are currently seven outstanding arrest warrants due to Operation Snow Globe.

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