The items seized by federal agents. (Credit: U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia)
TRION, Ga. - A former Georgia corrections officer faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison following his arrest on new federal drug trafficking and firearms charges.
What we know:
Mark Edward Jeffery, 41, of Calhoun, Georgia, appeared in federal court after a grand jury indicted him on Sept. 8 for possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and weapons offenses.
A Gordon County Sheriff's Office deputy found Jeffery sleeping inside a vehicle on Feb. 11, 2025.
A search revealed a bag of colored pills in Jeffery's pocket, along with bags of methamphetamine, heroin, two loaded handguns, a digital scale and empty packaging bags inside the vehicle.
Jeffery previously worked as a state corrections officer at Hays State Prison in Trion, Georgia.
Authorities caught him smuggling cellphones, chargers and methamphetamine into the prison in February 2018.
He pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking in April 2019 and served five years in federal prison.
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed the trial date for the charges listed in the grand jury indictment.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Cartersville Resident Agency, who detailed the indictment, as well as the Gordon County Sheriff's Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.