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Former Washington-area FBI agent pleads guilty to multiple drug charges

By John Clarke WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former FBI agent admitted on Tuesday to taking heroin seized in drug busts in the Washington area for his personal use and to evidence tampering that resulted in the dismissal of several major drug-trafficking cases.Matthew Lowry, 33, faces at least seven years in prison and a potential fine of up to $16 million, according to court documents. Prosecutors said Lowry tampered with heroin seized during several investigations in 2013 and 2014, often keeping it for personal use before putting it in an evidence locker with fillers added to make up for the weight difference. The evidence tampering led to the dismissal of cases against 24 defendants accused in large-scale drug-trafficking investigations, prosecutors said. Defense attorney Robert Bonsib said Lowry took small amounts of heroin from evidence packages to treat a long-standing case of ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease. Lowry, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, pleaded guilty in the U.S. District for the District of Columbia to 20 charges of obstruction of justice, 18 counts of falsification of records, 13 counts of conversion of property and 13 counts of heroin possession, according to court documents. His sentencing is scheduled for June 29.The investigation into Lowry's behavior began after he was found unconscious in an unmarked FBI vehicle on Sept. 29 after overdosing on heroin. (Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Eric Walsh)