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The Philadelphia 5: When Cops Became the Criminals They Swore to Fight

5 min • 27 maj 2025

In the 1980s, five Philadelphia narcotics officers—the Philadelphia 5—ran drugs, extorted dealers, and stole hundreds of thousands while hiding behind their badges. Their reign ended in 1985 when a federal investigation exposed their crimes, leading to convictions and long prison sentences in one of the city’s biggest police corruption scandals.