A 22-year-old former federal correctional officer from the Beaumont prison complex will spend the next decade in federal prison after admitting he trafficked methamphetamine tied to the facility where he once worked. Prosecutors say Martel Devante Gilliam was found with a stash of meth, cocaine and synthetic marijuana in his vehicle, along with a pistol and thousands of dollars in cash.
U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone handed Gilliam a 120-month sentence on Wednesday following his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas. The office says Gilliam, 22, was working at the Federal Correctional Complex Beaumont when investigators identified him in March 2024 as a suspected source of contraband at the facility.
Authorities say an open-air canine sniff on March 8, 2024 prompted officers to search Gilliam’s vehicle and recover roughly 125 grams of methamphetamine, about 28 grams of cocaine, 459 grams of synthetic marijuana, vacuum-sealed packages of tobacco and marijuana, $5,700 in cash and a pistol. That discovery, court documents and local reporting show, triggered a federal investigation that ended in charges and a guilty plea, as reported by Click2Houston.
Investigation and charges
The case was handled as part of Operation Take Back America and investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Prisons and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, according to U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas. Prosecutors say Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James carried the case in federal court in Beaumont.
Why it matters
Smuggling by staff and visitors is a persistent problem that undercuts safety inside Texas prisons and can fuel violence and addiction behind bars. Reporting by The Texas Tribune and others has found that drugs often enter facilities through staff or other inside channels, complicating efforts to curb contraband.
Court details
Court records show Gilliam’s guilty plea was processed earlier in the case; an order adopting findings of fact and recommendation on the plea is dated June 6, 2025 in the docket, which is listed as United States v. Gilliam, No. 1:24-cr-79. The court filing is available on Leagle.
Federal prosecutors said the sentence is part of a broader push to remove drugs and violent crime from federal prisons and protect staff and inmates. As Click2Houston noted, the case underscores the ongoing challenge of keeping contraband out of the Beaumont complex and other federal facilities.
