The most recently charged Phillips State Prison guards are: Michael Bostic, 32, of Lawrenceville; Patrick Coleman, 43, of Tucker; Tavia Trammer, 34, of Lawrenceville; and Justin Gennings, 29, of Port Royal, S.C.
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The guards allegedly believed an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agent was actually a drug dealer working with the Mexican cartel.
Since September, Georgia authorities have charged more than 100 people in a campaign to clear state prisons of corruption, drug trafficking and smuggling, especially of cell phones.
“Allegations range, of course, from smuggling in contraband to our inmates here, but also using their official capacity as officers to protect what they believe to be drug transactions and drug shipments traveling through Georgia”, Ricky Myrick, director of the Office of Investigations and Compliance at the Department of Corrections, told Winne.
The four dozen suspects named Thursday were the latest in a months-long crackdown on corruption in Georgia’s prisons, which has resulted in charges against 130 prison employees, inmates and non-incarcerated co-conspirators.
“Ridding our prisons of corrupt staff is one of our top priorities”, said commissioner Homer Bryson in a statement.
Officials say both prisoners were rushed to South Georgia Medical Center. Three inmates used cellphones to manage a network of brokers, distributors and runners from their prison cells, prosecutors said. The trafficking is said to include multiple kilos of cocaine and meth in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribe money.
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Investigators say cellmates Richard Strickland and Cody Vestal passed away following the fire Tuesday. In one case, prison guards are accused of wearing their uniforms during drug transports to shield themselves from law enforcement scrutiny.
