A federal correctional officer from Beaumont is heading to the other side of the bars after being caught with a stash of drugs and a firearm in his car at work. Martel Devante Gilliam, 22, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone.
The sentence follows Gilliam’s earlier guilty plea for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The investigation into Gilliam began in March 2024, when authorities at the Federal Correctional Complex (FCC) in Beaumont flagged him as a potential source for the illegal narcotics flowing into the facility.
The case came to a head on March 8, 2024. After Gilliam arrived for his shift and reported to work, a K-9 unit conducting an open-air sniff of the employee parking lot alerted officers to his vehicle.
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A subsequent search of the car turned up a significant haul: 125 grams of methamphetamine, 28 grams of cocaine, and nearly 460 grams of synthetic marijuana. Investigators also found vacuum-sealed packages of tobacco and marijuana, $5,700 in cash, and a pistol.
U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs announced the decade-long sentence, noting that the prosecution was part of “Operation Take Back America,” a Department of Justice initiative focused on dismantling cartels and stopping the spread of violent crime and illegal drugs in local communities.
The FBI, the Bureau of Prisons, and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office collaborated on the investigation, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James led the prosecution in the Eastern District of Texas.
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