Man files $10M lawsuit against Michigan State Police for alleged drug planting conspiracy

Man files $10M lawsuit against Michigan State Police for alleged drug plant

A man has filed a lawsuit against state police for what he claimed was a conspiracy to plant drugs on him during a traffic stop. The troopers involved have a month to respond to the lawsuit.

DETROIT (FOX 2) - An alleged drug planting conspiracy resulted in a man filing a $10 million lawsuit against the Michigan State Police (MSP).

The man, Dakarai Larriett, accused two MSP troopers of violating his rights and conspiring to plant drugs on him during a traffic stop in Benton Harbor on April 10.

"For a Black man, in a situation like that, you say the wrong thing, and you're dead," Larriett told FOX 2.

He said that footage showed the troopers conspiring to plant the drugs the night of his traffic stop.

Larriett said a trooper accused him of smelling like something fruity, then gave him a 30-minute sobriety test, even though he said he was sober. He was then immediately taken to a medical clinic where he said he tested negative for all alcohol, but was still taken to jail.

Larriett said, while in jail, police went even further, claiming he was hiding a bag of drugs inside himself.

"That looks like a bag of drugs, confess now, or you're going to face a trafficking charge as well," Larriett recounted police telling him. "And they continued scanning my body."

Larriett said he had to publicly use the bathroom to prove it.

"I've never even been arrested," he said. "I'm a corporate executive working for Whirlpool for three years, based out of Benton Harbor. I don't know anything about this world. I've never even been in a jail before. I was mind-blown the whole night."

When he was released from custody, the DUI charges were dropped. Months later, Larriett discovered the footage of the alleged conspiracy to plant drugs and an alleged social media page for one of the MSP troopers.

"He's homophobic, he's transphobic. He's racist. He's misogynistic," Larriett said. "I don't know why this man is on the force."

Both MSP troopers are still working as of Oct. 29.

State police sent a statement reading:

"MSP is committed to unbiased policing and the fair treatment of all individuals. We take any allegations of misconduct with the utmost seriousness. At no time did troopers attempt to plant narcotics on Mr. Larriett or in his vehicle. The term "stash" referred to the trooper’s inability to locate his supply of Preliminary Breath Test (PBT) straws, which are required for administering a PBT. Upon learning of the allegations in Mr. Larriett’s lawsuit, we initiated an internal affairs investigation. As it pertains to the traffic stop, the investigation concluded the stop was conducted in accordance with department policy and legal standards. Sexist, racist and homophobic remarks are not in line with the values of MSP. The allegation about these personal social media posts is part of the internal affairs investigation, which is still underway."

The troopers involved have a month to respond to the lawsuit.