FORSYTH, Ga. — From behind bars, Donald Jason Miles was serving a 30-year prison sentence for trafficking methamphetamine, but just because he was behind bars did not mean he stopped his involvement in the illegal meth trade, court records reveal.
On Wednesday, Miles — also known as "Crash" and "Cocho" — pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy for orchestrating methamphetamine trafficking from his prison cell at Valdosta State Prison.
Prosecutors say Miles is a high-ranking member of the Ghostface Gangsters, a notorious Georgia prison gang.
Using contraband cellphones, Miles was a member of a multi-person conspiracy to move 110 pounds of meth over a two-month period, all done while he was incarcerated in a Georgia state prison.
Another Georgia inmate and Ghostface Gang member, Warren Frederick Courts, and their outside "courier" Keeli Nycole Wallace had earlier pleaded guilty in the case.
The case arrived on authorities' radar when the Georgia Bureau of Investigations conducted a Sept. 12, 2022 drug bust at a Motel 6 in Albany.
Along with finding Wallace with over three pounds of meth, they also first caught wind of the drug smuggling operation orchestrated from Miles' and Courts' prison cells.
“The Ghostface Gangsters have systematically worked to flood the communities of Georgia with dangerous drugs,” GBI Director Chris Hosey said in the press release. “The brazenness of these gang members to continue their criminal acts even behind bars must be met with decisive action to ensure justice and safety for our communities."
Prosecutors say Miles had recruited Wallace as a drug courier a few months before her arrest. During that time, Wallace had run 10 to 15 meth deliveries for Courts and Miles.
When the Georgia Department of Corrections searched Miles and Courts prison cells, prosecutors say they found contraband mobile phones.
Searches of the phones revealed "detailed communications" between the three individuals related to the drug sales, including communications with their Mexico-based drug supplier.
They also say that there were multiple other couriers who were involved in the drug trafficking operations.
“We are partnering with law enforcement at every level to root out and hold accountable violent criminal organizations whose tentacles reach beyond prison walls and jeopardize the safety and well-being of our communities,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said.
Wallace, Miles and Courts each face a minimum of ten years in prison but they also face up to life in prison. If released from prison, they face 10 years of supervised release and up to a $10 million fine.
Their sentencing date has yet to be determined.
