Cop Facing Drug Charges Fled to Brazil: Feds

The Boynton Beach cop who went on the run days before was to head to trial on drug charges likely fled to Brazil, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida said Wednesday.

Officer David Britto boarded a flight from Miami to Brazil on Aug. 24, the same day he removed his ankle monitor and broke his 11 p.m. curfew, a motion filed Wednesday said.

U.S. Marshals spokesman Barry Golden said an arrest warrant was issued for the 28-year-old after he went missing while on paid administrative leave and out on $100,000 bond at his mother's home in Coral Springs.

Britto, Boynton Beach's 2010 "Officer of the Year," was arrested in July after authorities said he'd sold over 500 grams of methamphetamine between June 2009 and March 2011. He was scheduled to stand trial on federal drug charges next week.

Britto, who faces a life sentence if convicted, has pleaded not guilty. A status hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday, according to the motion.

In 2010, the four-year officer was instrumental in the arrest of 25 suspects in drug cases. Britto also saved a 2-year-old girl from drowning and identified a man who tried to gun down two street preachers.