An Alabama prison inmate was found guilty last week of running an illegal drug ring while in prison.

A federal jury found Johnnie Page Lott, 41, from Mobile, Alabama, guilty Thursday of conspiring to sell methamphetamine in an Alabama prison and conspiring to launder drug money, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart.

According to court records and evidence presented at trial, in early 2020, Lott was an inmate at Kilby Correctional Facility in Montgomery. Correctional officers suspected Lott was involved in illegal activity and began listening to recordings of calls Lott made from prison phones. The recordings revealed that Lott had numerous conversations concerning the sale of drugs, including synthetic cannabinoids called “Flakka,” within the prison. The subsequent investigation showed that Lott would have drugs brought into the prison, then he utilized other inmates to distribute them throughout the facility.

The trial evidence revealed that on May 24, 2020, a correctional officer spotted an inmate with a suspicious bulge in his clothing. The officer searched the inmate and found a package of what turned out to be methamphetamine. Later on, Lott made a phone call and discussed with a co-conspirator the confiscation of the drugs.

The jury also heard evidence that Lott was coordinating payments for the sale of his illegal drugs with his co-conspirator. On numerous occasions, Lott and the co-conspirator spoke about the amount of money the drug enterprise generated and, on one occasion, boasted about having an “$11,000.00 weekend.” They also discussed the co-conspirator paying cash for a $27,000.00 vehicle. When DEA agents executed a federal search warrant on the home of the co-conspirator, they found nearly $130,000.00 in cash. Federal agents also seized the co-conspirator’s financial accounts, totaling approximately $60,000.00.

Following the May 11, 2023, verdict, Lott faces a sentence 10 years to life in federal prison. The Alabama Department of Corrections’ Law Enforcement Services Division and the DEA investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Eric M. Counts, Kevin P. Davidson, and Mark E. Andreu are prosecuting the case.