Four soldiers, including three Army Rangers, stationed at Dahlonega’s Camp Frank D. Merrill face federal charges of conspiring to rob drug dealers at gunpoint.

The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia announced the arrest Friday of Army Ranger Randy Spivy, 32, at the Dahlonega training facility. Three other suspects, identified as Carlos Lopez, 30, David Ray White, 28, and Stefan Andre Champagne, 28, were arrested Thursday in Sandy Springs by agents of the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Champagne is an Army medic while the other three suspects are Army Rangers, officials said.

According to a statement released by U.S. Attorney David Nahmias, the four men conspired to use guns to steal five kilograms — more than 10 pounds — of cocaine. The robbery was meant to take place at a storage facility off Roswell Road in Sandy Springs, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

The four men learned that the man with whom they had been conspiring was an undercover ATF agent, according to the ATF.

"It is a sad day when members of one of America’s most elite corps of soldiers, the Army Rangers, are alleged to have become involved in criminal activity," Nahmias said in a statement. "These men were trained to defend the people and principals of this country, not to use their skills to steal cocaine from drug dealers at gunpoint."

Three of the defendants made their initial appearance before a federal magistrate judge Friday afternoon. All four were to remain in custody pending a Wednesday bond hearing.

The drug conspiracy charges carry a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years.