West
2nd Homeland Security agent in Utah arrested on charges of selling illicit drugs that were seized as evidence
A second Department of Homeland Security agent in Utah was arrested and charged in federal court on accusations of using a confidential informant to sell illicit drugs that were seized as evidence.
Nicholas Kindle, a special agent investigating illegal narcotics trafficking, was arrested three weeks after the arrest of his alleged co-conspirator, special agent David Cole. The two men are each charged with felony drug distribution conspiracy, while Kindle also faces a charge of conspiracy to convert property of the U.S. government for profit.
A judge set Kindle’s initial court appearance for Jan. 21 in Salt Lake City. He could face as many as 25 years in prison if convicted.
Cole was indicted last month by a grand jury, but Kindle was formally charged in an information document from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which does not require grand jury approval to initiate criminal proceedings.
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A second Department of Homeland Security agent in Utah was charged for allegedly using a confidential informant to sell illicit drugs from evidence. (iStock)
Cole has pleaded not guilty to his drug distribution conspiracy charge and will stand trial starting Feb. 24. If convicted, he could face as many as 20 years in prison.
Kindle and Cole had their Homeland Security credentials suspended but have not been fired.
Prosecutors accuse Kindle and Cole of abusing their positions to acquire illegal drugs known as “bath salts” from Homeland Security evidence and from other law enforcement personnel, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers, falsely claiming that they would use the drugs for legitimate investigations.
The pair allegedly began stealing drugs from evidence and lying to fellow agents about the reason for gathering them in 2021. Kindle and Cole also allegedly stole thousands of dollars in cash, a diamond ring and a Peruvian antiquity from evidence.
Nicholas Kindle, a special agent investigating illegal narcotics trafficking, was arrested three weeks after the arrest of his alleged co-conspirator, special agent David Cole. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Between 2022 and 2024, Kindle and Cole allegedly sold the drugs to a person identified in court documents only as a “source of information” for the department who they allowed to resell the drugs, and they did not arrest the customers.
The FBI says between $195,000 and $300,000 was made through the scheme.
The two agents allegedly later compelled a confidential informant recruited to conduct controlled buys from suspected dealers after he was freed from prison to take the role as the new middleman.
Kindle and Cole used an encrypted messaging app to provide the informant with meeting locations, which included a Panera Bread restaurant and a Nike store, according to an FBI affidavit.
The FBI launched an investigation in October 2024 after the informant’s lawyer contacted the U.S. Attorney in Utah and said that Kindle and Cole had required him to participate in potentially unlawful acts, the affidavit said.
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Kindle and Cole had their Homeland Security credentials suspended but have not been fired. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Investigators began tracking the agents and recorded eight instances in which drugs were illegally sold to the informant.
In one instance, the informant gave the FBI a plastic foam cup with a granular substance inside that tested positive for drugs. The informant said the agents left the cup for him in a parking lot trash can.
Synthetic bath salts, also known as Alpha-PVP or cathinone, are believed to be similar to methamphetamine, cocaine or ecstasy, and are unrelated to actual bath products.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Miley Cyrus opens up about vocal condition behind her raspy voice
Miley Cyrus has revealed that she has Reinke’s edema, a condition affecting her vocal cords that gives her voice its raspy tone.
unbranded – Entertainment
Move over Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana is coming.
The “Flowers” singer is revisiting her Disney Channel roots, donning the signature blonde look of the fictional popstar ahead of the sitcom’s 20th anniversary in March.
At the Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival on Jan. 3, Cyrus confirmed she is involved with plans for the milestone date.
“Absolutely. We’re working hard on them,” she told Variety.
While she said she couldn’t say more about what’s in store for fans, Cyrus pointed to her blonde hairstyle, adding, “You see the bangs.”
Cyrus starred in the series alongside Emily Osment, Mitchel Musso and father Billy Ray Cyrus, between March 2006 and January 2011, and starred in the 2009 feature film “Hannah Montana: The Movie.” Under the Hannah Montana persona, she also released multiple platinum-selling soundtracks and headlined the Best of Both Worlds Tour, which grossed over $54 million.
What’s happening for the Hannah Montana 20th anniversary?
The Grammy-winning musician first teased plans for the anniversary in a July 22 interview on SiriusXM.
“I want to design something really, really special for it because it really was the beginning of all of this,” she said. “Without Hannah, there wouldn’t really be this me.”
“It’s crazy to think that I started as a character that I thought was going to be impossible to shed, and now that’s something that when I walk into a space, it’s looked at as this sense of kind of, like, nostalgia or something that you have from your childhood,” she added. “So, that’s exciting to get to celebrate that.”
Will there be a Hannah Montana tour in 2026?
Cyrus has not announced plans to tour as “Hannah Montana” for the show’s 20th anniversary.
While exact anniversary plans remain under wraps, a tour seems unlikely, as Cyrus has previously expressed a lack of interest in touring.
During a May 2023 interview with British Vogue, the “Something Beautiful” singer added that while she enjoys performing for her friends, noting that “singing for hundreds of thousands of people isn’t really the thing that I love.”
Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
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