United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Birmingham man has been convicted of using a contraband cell phone to run a methamphetamine conspiracy while in custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. 

The jury returned a guilty verdict against Samdrekus Eugene Bester, 43, after four days of testimony before U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala.  Bester was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. 

According to evidence presented at trial, Bester was serving a life sentence inside the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) for a 2016 murder he committed in Jefferson County.  While inside ADOC, Bester used a contraband cell phone to coordinate the sale of methamphetamine in December 2022 and January 2023. Specifically, Bester arranged for the sale of over 10 pounds of methamphetamine, which the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) recovered.  Bester used females on the outside to facilitate his drug trafficking operation.  The DEA recovered over 20 pounds of methamphetamine from a co-defendant’s home.  Throughout December 2022 and January 2023, Bester facilitated the possession and distribution of 165 pounds of methamphetamine throughout the greater Birmingham metro area. 

“Despite being imprisoned for murder, the defendant continued to endanger our communities through drug trafficking.  This guilty verdict sends a clear message that criminal activity will not be tolerated behind prison walls or anywhere else,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “I commend the dedicated collaboration of our law enforcement partners in bringing this defendant to justice.”  

“Drug trafficking is a scourge on our communities, and we will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure that those who engage in drug trafficking are held accountable for their actions, even if they are already incarcerated,” said Assistant United States Attorney Brittany Byrd.

“This conviction demonstrates the reach of our federal and state law enforcement partnership,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge John P. Scott. “Even from behind bars, this individual continued to pose a grave danger to our community by orchestrating a large-scale drug trafficking operation. We are committed to dismantling these criminal networks, regardless of where the coordinators are located, and holding them fully accountable for the devastation they bring to the Birmingham area.”

The DEA investigated the case, along with the Birmingham Police Department, Hoover Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany T. Byrd and Benjamin A. Keown, Sr., are prosecuting the case.