Boynton Beach police officer pleads not guilty to drug charge

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. - A Boynton Beach Police officer who was indicted earlier this month pleaded not guilty before a U.S. Magistrate judge on Monday.

David Britto, 28, who remains on paid administrative, was accused in the July 5 indictment of selling drugs since 2009. If convicted, he faces life in prison.

Britto's arrest was a result of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force led by the DEA, which was assisted by various police departments including Boynton Beach Police Department's Internal Affairs, Mark R. Trouville, DEA special agent in charge, said in a written statement on July 5.

Since he was hired in 2006, Britto has faced a total of seven internal affairs investigations, with three allegations against him sustained. In 2008, he was suspended for cursing at a driver and for failing to submit a report that was complete and accurate. He was also suspended in 2009 for failing to divulge that he was involved in an off-duty criminal investigation with the Miami Beach Police Department.