Between 1988 and 1990, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO) in Florida manufactured and sold crack cocaine as part of a controversial sting operation in which people were arrested for purchasing the illegal drug. Many of those arrested for purchasing the drugs manufactured by BSO were sentenced to long prison sentences. The Florida Supreme Court declared the operation illegal in 1993, but many people still have criminal charges or convictions on their records.

Now Broward County Prosecutor Harold F. Pryor is trying to bring justice to those affected by the operation. Last week, Pryor, the first Black prosecutor in Broward and the first Black elected prosecutor in Florida, announced plans to overturn up to 2,600 drug convictions.

“The methods law enforcement and society use to combat drug trafficking in our community have evolved since that time,” Pryor said in a statement. “These records may be a faint memory or an unfortunate part of history for many, but they had a lasting and serious impact on the lives of the people who were arrested – as well as their families and the wider community.”

Before the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, which reduced statutory penalties for crack cocaine violations, possession of five grams of crack cocaine carried a mandatory minimum sentence of five years, and 28 grams of the drug carried a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years Years.

Some buyers, disproportionately from vulnerable populations, faced increased fees for buying drugs within 1,000 feet of a school – receiving mandatory prison sentences of at least three years.

“They had detention officers posing as dealers… These poor addicts were buying it,” defense attorney Ed Hoeg, who represented Leon Williams, the man whose appeal led to the Supreme Court ruling, told the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel.

There is no indication that many of the cases were ever officially dropped, the Broward County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement, meaning people caught up in the scheme may still be dealing with the fallout from the charges .

Pryor sent a letter to current Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony informing him of his intentions. “These matters existed long before our administration,” Pryor wrote. “However, I believe that the state has an ethical duty and obligation to right this wrong before beginning to destroy (old records).” Pryor has said that Tony supports the plan.

Because of the number of people affected by the sting, prosecutors expect it will take a significant amount of time to review paper records and determine whether the people are authorized to have their records sealed or expunged.

In the statement announcing his plan, Pryor said, “It is never too late to do the right thing.”