United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ALBANY, Ga. – A Georgia inmate who is a high ranking member of the Ghostface Gangsters (GFG)—a criminal organization founded in the prison system—pleaded guilty in federal court this morning to directing a large methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy involving another prisoner and GFG member, as well as a third co-defendant.

Donald Jason Miles aka “Crash” aka “Cocho,” 39, of Valdosta State Prison and Forsyth, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Nov. 13. Co-defendants Warren Frederick Courts aka “Dirty,” 38, of Rutledge State Prison and Marietta, Georgia, and Keeli Nycole Wallace, 34, of Covington, Georgia, both pleaded guilty to one count each of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Aug. 15 and Aug. 14 respectively. All defendants face a minimum of ten years to a maximum of life in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release and a maximum $10 million fine. Chief U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner is presiding over the case. Sentencing dates for the defendants will be determined by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system.

“This career criminal continued his drug trafficking activities despite being incarcerated, demonstrating his complete and wanton disregard for the safety of our community,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “DEA’s efforts in bringing him to justice will ensure this high-ranking gang member spends even more time in prison.”

“Ghostface Gangsters Jason Miles and Warren Courts were directing the distribution of large quantities of methamphetamine from two state prisons into Southwest Georgia, a dangerous conspiracy that put many people at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “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.” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. 

“The Ghostface Gangsters have systematically worked to flood the communities of Georgia with dangerous drugs,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “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. This investigation shows that the GBI and our partners will work relentlessly to hold those who seek to poison our communities accountable.”

According to court documents and statements referenced in court, undercover Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) agents conducted a drug bust at Motel 6 in Albany on Sept. 12, 2022, resulting from a larger investigation into drug trafficking from Georgia prisons. Agents learned Courts, a state prisoner, had arranged a drug transaction from behind bars and hired Wallace as a drug courier to move methamphetamine from a Mexico-based source located in metro Atlanta to Southwest Georgia. Agents arrested Wallace in the parking lot of Motel 6, finding approximately 1,400 grams of methamphetamine and her cell phones.

Investigators discovered that Miles had recruited Wallace as a drug courier several months before her arrest. Wallace admitted she had performed 10-15 deliveries of 250 grams or less of methamphetamine at Miles’s direction. Miles introduced Wallace to Courts; both Miles and Courts are members of the prison-based criminal organization, Ghostface Gangsters. Courts is a subordinate of Miles, as demonstrated by Courts giving Miles a portion of the profit he made from selling narcotics. During one transaction, Courts instructed Wallace to obtain methamphetamine from a Mexico-based source of supply near Atlanta, Georgia, and take it to meet a buyer at a Walmart in Albany. The buyer did not show up, and Miles instructed Wallace to return to Atlanta. The next day, Courts told Wallace that the intended buyer was ready. She returned to a Motel 6 in Albany, where she was subsequently arrested.

At the time, Miles was incarcerated at Valdosta State Prison, and Courts was incarcerated at Rutledge State Prison. Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) officers searched their prison cells on Sept. 16, recovering contraband mobile phones. Search warrants were executed on the phones, and investigators discovered detailed communications between Miles, Courts and Wallace related to the drug conspiracy, including communications involving the Mexico-based source of supply and the trafficking of large quantities of methamphetamine. The investigation revealed that Wallace was just one courier recruited by Miles, and that Miles and Courts had funneled numerous redistributors to the Mexican source of supply near Atlanta, resulting in the distribution of at least 50 kilograms of methamphetamine between a two-month period as a part of this conspiracy. 

Both Miles and Courts have lengthy criminal histories, including multiple felony convictions for drug distribution and trafficking. Miles was most recently convicted in the Superior Court of Gwinnett County, Georgia, on April 28, 2021, for conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine and was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison. Courts was most recently convicted in the Superior Court of Cobb County, Georgia, on Oct. 1, 2021, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to serve a total of 15 years with eight years to be served in custody and the remainder on probation. 

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Redavid is prosecuting the case for the Government.

The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com, www.CampusDrugPrevention.gov, and www.dea.gov . Also follow DEA Atlanta via Twitter at @DEAATLANTADiv

                                               ###