An FBI agent who was supposed to be upholding the law was busted on 64 counts in a drug tampering case after he stole heroin from investigations and overdosed in an unmarked police car. Matthew Lowry, 33, a heroin-addicted former special agent in the Washington field office tampered with hundreds of grams of heroin seized during drug investigations in 2013 and 2014. He was investigated by the  Department of Justice after  he was found slumped over and unconscious  in his unmarked FBI vehicle from a heroin overdose on September 29. Car: Matthew Lowry, formerly a special agent with the agency's Washington field office was investigated after he was found unconscious in his unmarked FBI vehicle, pictured, on September 29 after overdosing on heroin . Heroin: Bags of heroin, pictured, were recovered from the FBI agent's vehicle where he kept drugs in his car for weeks or months, and used it periodically . According to authorities, Lowry, a married father of one, allegedly took drugs that had been processed as evidence, removed heroin from evidence bags, and then added a cutting agent to account for the missing weight. He used a dietary supplement or a laxative as the cutting agents. Lowry then kept the bags of heroin in his car for weeks or months, and used it periodically, according to charging documents filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Friday. His crimes were fueled by an addiction to prescription painkillers, but his dishonesty botched dozens of cases involving suspected drug traffickers in multiple states. In one case, charges were dropped against 14 defendants suspected to be involved with a large-scale drug-trafficking organization that was the subject of a major FBI investigation in California. The investigation included court-ordered wiretaps, physical surveillance and numerous controlled drug buys, time-consuming and costly investigative techniques. Theft: Documents revealed that Lowry took heroin he got during controlled buys as part of FBI investigations . Attorney: Robert Bonsib said Lowry will plead guilty to 64 charges of obstruction of justice, heroin possession and conversion of property. He could face at least seven years in prison . Additionally, his actions caused federal prosecutors to dismiss charges against at least 28 defendants in drug cases. They also had to notify 150 more that Lowry had participated in investigations targeting them. Attorney Robert Bonsib said Lowry will plead guilty to 64 charges of obstruction of justice, heroin possession and conversion of property. He could face at least seven years in prison. Meanwhile, documents revealed that the former FBI agent took heroin he got during controlled buys as part of FBI investigations. Evidence: Lowry removed small amounts of heroin from evidence packages to self-medicate his health issue known as ulcerative colitis . Bonsib said in each of 20 incidents involving evidence tampering, Lowry removed small amounts of heroin from evidence packages to self-medicate his health issue known as ulcerative colitis. One of Lowry's doctors had prescribed him powerful pain medications without warning him of how addictive they were, Bonsib said. When his doctor left the practice without notice, Lowry tried to kick the addiction but it was 'overpowering' and the pain from his medical condition was 'unbearable.' Bonsib added: 'Mr Lowry recognizes the importance of taking full responsibility for each of his acts and he also recognizes the need to account to the public for his misconduct.' 'He is devastated by the consequences of his conduct, particularly as it has affected the drug investigations that he, his fellow law enforcement officers, and prosecutors had spent so much time developing and pursing.' 'The fact that his conduct has damaged the ability of some of those investigations to be successfully prosecuted is contrary to everything he trained himself for and believes in,' he said. Bonsib described the night Lowry was found unconscious in his car as a 'turning point.' He immediately  met with prosecutors and investigators to help investigate his conduct. He also sought treatment for his addiction. The case is being prosecuted by federal attorneys in Pennsylvania. Lowry wanted to be a law enforcement officer to follow in the footsteps of his father,  a narcotics investigator for Prince George's Police and assistant chief of Anne Arundel County Police.
Matthew Lowry, 33, a former special agent tampered with FBI drugs cases . He stole bags of heroin during investigations in 2013 and 2014 . He kept heroin in his car for weeks or months, and used it periodically . He was found unconscious in his unmarked FBI vehicle in September . Lowry caused prosecutors to dismiss charges against 28 drug defendants . His crimes were fueled by an 'addiction to prescription painkillers'
Lowry will plead guilty to 64 charges and could face seven years in prison .