NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — An inmate inside a Tennessee prison allegedly helped direct a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy using contraband cellphones, leading to federal charges against 11 people.
A federal grand jury indicted the 11 inmates after investigators say inmate Corey Byrd coordinated a drug trafficking operation from inside a Tennessee Department of Correction prison. According to the indictment, the conspiracy operated from 2023 through August 2025 and involved large quantities of methamphetamine distributed across southern Middle Tennessee.
“Just because you have a drug offender locked up does not neutralize the threat, so we need to remain vigilant even when we have a drug offender locked up,” said Braden Boucek, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
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Federal prosecutors alleged Byrd and others relied on contraband cellphones smuggled into the prison through outside acquaintances. Investigators say those phones were used to communicate with associates who distributed methamphetamine outside prison walls…