A former Portsmouth lieutenant charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine entered an Alford Plea as his trial was set to begin.

The plea means Brian Muhammad Abdul-Ali does not admit guilt but believes the evidence against him is likely to lead to conviction.

As part of the deal, Abdul-Ali will forgo a trial and will face up to 40 years in prison.

Abdul Ali’s attorney says he owes no one an apology, not even the Portsmouth men and women in blue who looked up to him as a lieutenant.

“I would tell them the same things I tell everyone else. You need to read, you need to be informed before you make any judgments,” said Abdul Ali’s attorney Michael Massie.

He says the plea is a nod to the evidence stacked against him, especially his nephew who said he worked with Abdul-Ali to sell cocaine for five years.

Abdul-Ali's attorney says his client never realized his nephew was using his inside knowledge as Portsmouth’s top drug cop, to turn around and sell five million dollars worth of cocaine.

“If you look in his background, family's background, there was never anything to show he was in drug dealing,” said Massie.

But Commonwealth's Attorney Earle Mobley says Abdul-Ali knew exactly what he was doing, and that they have hours of tapped phone conversations to prove it.

“It’s a sad day because you've got a person who was a member of the police department and it was a severe breach of trust,” said Mobley.

Mobley says he'll ask for a 10-year term at the July 12 sentencing.

Abdul-Ali was Portsmouth's lead drug enforcement officer. He was accused of funneling information about drug investigations to his nephew over five years.

Mobley says the duo is responsible for putting $5 million worth of cocaine on the streets.

Abdul-Ali is free on bond.