Curtis Drakes, 33, a former prison guard at the Mize Street Detention Facility, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to introduce contraband into a correctional facility.
According to court records, Drakes smuggled cell phones into the Mize Street Detention Facility for cash payments from inmates at the facility. This conduct allegedly spanned the time period of April 15 to May 16, 2013. Drakes has pleaded guilty and awaits a May 8, 2014, sentencing in federal court. He faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in federal prison.
The investigation leading up to Drakes’ arrest was conducted jointly by the Pelham Police Department and the U.S. Marshal Service. The case is being prosecuted by Leah E. McEwen of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In recent years law enforcement and prison administrators have made cell phone detection and smuggling a stronger investigation focal point. This is in large part due to the security concerns presented by prisoners having access to unmonitored channels of communication. Some prisoners have been said to orchestrate criminal activities even from inside a prison. Authorities have become so concerned with this type of conduct that several states have passed legislation making it a felony to merely possess a cell phone within a correctional facility.
To learn more about this developing case, visit http://www.walb.com/story/24718226/prison-guard-pleads-to-supplyimng-cell-phones.
Published Feb 27, 2014 by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA | Last Updated by Christopher Zoukis, JD, MBA on Jul 27, 2023 at 4:35 pm
