A U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer who stole seized cocaine and switched it with a 3D-printed version in order for the theft to go undetected has been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison.

James Darrell Hickox committed multiple federal offences including conspiring to distribute narcotics, conspiring to defraud the United States, and tax evasion, according to news releases from the United States Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on Monday.

The 38-year-old, who pleaded guilty on May 15, 2024, committed his crimes with a co-conspirator while he was working as a deputy with the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office and as a DEA officer from 2017 to 2023.