AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy — An airman assigned to the 31st Logistics Readiness Squadron pleaded guilty to charges of cocaine use and distribution in a general court-martial Friday.

Judge (Col.) William Burd sentenced Airman 1st Class Gregory Rader to a year in prison without any salary or benefits, a reduction in rank to E-1 and a bad-conduct discharge. Rader had pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted possession of cocaine and another charge of use, possession, distribution and introduction of the illegal drug onto the base.

He is the seventh airman to be sentenced in the largest drug case in base history. Agents from the 31st Security Forces Squadron and Office of Special Investigations Detachment 531 conducted an investigation late in 2003, that lead to an on-base raid Dec. 13, 2003, that netted a dozen suspects.

More trials are pending.

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