Jerrell Antonio Roberts, currently serving time as a federal inmate, was sentenced to over nine years in prison after pleading guilty to attempting to possess methamphetamine while incarcerated. Antoinette Tyeisha Ricks and Tyree O'Bryant Russell, both residents of Savannah, Georgia, were also sentenced, receiving terms of over three years and two years respectively, for their roles in smuggling meth into a federal prison.
In November 2022, during Roberts's incarceration in a South Carolina federal prison for charges related to Georgia, a drone carrying approximately 38 grams of pure methamphetamine crashed into the prison yard. The drone, equipped with a skyhook, was found alongside a package wrapped in electronics chargers. Investigations revealed Roberts's collaboration with Ricks and Russell in acquiring methamphetamine for prison distribution.
U.S. Attorney Bryan P. Stirling commented, “Crime doesn’t stop when defendants enter the prison gates. Contraband smuggling schemes like this are not only illegal but dangerous, and the sentences handed down today reflect the seriousness of these crimes.”
United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III, presided over the sentences, with Russell receiving 24 months and Ricks 39 months in prison. Roberts was sentenced to 110 months, which will run consecutively to a prior sentence from Georgia charges. After completing their sentences, each defendant will undergo three years of court-ordered supervision as there is no parole in the federal system.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons and the FBI were involved in investigating the case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Flynn.