Five people have now been sentenced in a federal conspiracy that moved methamphetamine and other contraband into Alabama's Elmore Correctional Facility. The final defendant received more than 17 years. Another received 20 years.
U.S. District Judge Myron H. Thompson sentenced former Elmore prisoner Lilbrian Rondarrius Ladd, 28, to 215 months in federal prison on July 30, 2026, after Ladd pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Ladd must also serve five years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama.
The sentencing completed the federal prosecution of five defendants. Prosecutors said the Alabama Department of Corrections Law Enforcement Services Division and the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating in 2024 after learning that Ladd was coordinating narcotics deliveries into the prison.
According to court documents and statements at the plea hearings, Ladd worked with another incarcerated man, Jarod Allen Poe, and three people outside the facility: Lawrence Alexander Dudley, Ja'meria Quanay Snowden, and Chasity Pearl Lee Cox. The Justice Department said the group smuggled methamphetamine and other contraband behind prison walls.
Each of the first four defendants also received five years of supervised release. Cox received three years of supervised release after her 46-month term. There is no parole in the federal system.
An attempted delivery helped expose the conspiracy
Federal prosecutors said agents arrested Dudley near Elmore Correctional Facility on May 23, 2024, after he tried to enter the grounds to deliver contraband. Snowden and Cox admitted making multiple deliveries and using different concealment methods, the Justice Department said.
All five defendants pleaded guilty and have been sentenced. This is not an arrest-only story. The public sentencing announcement establishes the prison terms and supervised-release terms, but it does not provide every defendant's guideline calculation or explain every difference among the sentences.
The case matters beyond the five convictions. Drug markets inside prisons can create debt, coercion, assault, overdose, and pressure on relatives outside. A family member may be approached through a trusted contact, asked to send money to an unfamiliar account, told that a package is harmless, or warned that refusing will endanger a loved one. A request framed as a favor can still expose the person outside to state or federal prosecution.
If someone asks you to move money or a package
Do not carry, mail, store, or transfer anything you cannot verify. Do not let another person use your bank account, payment app, phone number, vehicle, identification, or approved-visitor status.
Save usernames, phone numbers, payment handles, screenshots, dates, exact words, package descriptions, delivery locations, and threats. Do not edit the original records or confront a suspected participant.
ADOC's Investigation Request sends information to its Law Enforcement Services Division. The form asks for the facility, incarcerated person's name and AIS number, employee name when applicable, and complaint details.
For a welfare, safety, medical, or general facility problem that is not a criminal tip, ADOC also provides a separate Submit an Inmate Concern form. That form asks whether the concern was previously reported and whether it was resolved. Keeping the two tracks separate can make the request clearer: suspected trafficking or official misconduct goes to investigators; care and safety concerns go through the concern process.
Use only approved money and package channels
ADOC's current family page lists the department's approved deposit methods and approved package vendor. A request to bypass those systems, pay a personal account, use a fictitious name, meet near a facility, or bring an unauthorized item is a warning sign. Verify any unusual instruction on the official ADOC family page or directly with the facility before sending money or goods.
ADOC Administrative Regulation 303, revised October 28, 2025, defines contraband broadly as an item not authorized by law, department regulation, facility policy, or approval from the warden or designee. The same regulation says visits must be scheduled and approved. The current Elmore facility listing directs families to call the institution for visitation hours and information at 334-567-1460.
Write down the exact threat and the deadline given. Avoid bargaining with the caller. If danger appears immediate, contact the facility and local emergency services. If you or the incarcerated person could face criminal exposure, speak with a qualified lawyer before giving a detailed statement.
ADOC publishes a toll-free central number, 1-855-WE-R-ADOC, and a main number, 334-353-3883. A report to investigators does not automatically preserve a grievance deadline, appeal deadline, or civil claim. Keep a dated log of every report, confirmation number, response, and unresolved safety issue.
Sources and verification
- U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Alabama, final sentencing announcement, August 4, 2026.
- Alabama Department of Corrections, Administrative Regulation 303, Visitation, revised October 28, 2025.
- Alabama Department of Corrections, Investigation Request.
- Alabama Department of Corrections, Submit an Inmate Concern.
- Alabama Department of Corrections, current family and constituent services.
- Alabama Department of Corrections, current Elmore Correctional Facility listing.
Verification date: October 7, 2026. The guilty pleas, sentences, supervised-release terms, investigative account, and attempted delivery are established by the Justice Department's final sentencing announcement. The family guidance relies on current ADOC forms, facility information, and visitation regulation.
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