Albert F. Lafferty, former Martin corrections deputy, accused of selling cocaine

Albert F. Lafferty, former Martin corrections deputy, accused of selling cocaine
Photographer: MCSO
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Posted: 03/08/2013

By: Jan Lindsey, Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers

JENSEN BEACH — A former Martin County sheriff’s deputy has been arrested after allegedly selling cocaine to undercover deputies in two Jensen Beach parking lots.

Albert F. Lafferty, 51, was booked into the Martin County Jail on two counts each of sale of cocaine and possession of cocaine, records show. His bail was set at $70,000.

Lafferty sold about a gram of cocaine for $50 on Feb. 26 in the 3900 block of Northeast Indian River Drive, according to an arrest affidavit. On Tuesday, in the 900 block of Northeast Jensen Beach Boulevard, Lafferty sold 3.5 grams of cocaine for $150, another affidavit states.

After the second deal, a deputy pulled over Lafferty and found $638 in Lafferty’s wallet and about a gram of bagged cocaine on the floor of the car, it states.

Lafferty told the deputy he was a retired police officer, who had worked for Fort Lauderdale and the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. Lafferty served as a Martin County corrections deputy for about three years in the late 1980s, according to Christine Weiss, a department spokeswoman.

Lafferty told the deputy his pension was small, according to an affidavit, and said, “If I can catch a few dollars, I’m going to. Why not? Everyone else is.”