Desiree M. Briley, a former Georgia state prison guard plead guilty to her role in a widespread drug trafficking conspiracy linked to a white supremacist street gang.
The 26-year-old Briley, of McRae-Helena, faces up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Methamphetamine. Briley was a Georgia state corrections officer with the rank of sergeant when arrested as part of Operation Ghost Busted in January 2023.
Operation Ghost Busted, announced with the January unsealing of the indictment in USA v. Alvarez, et al., is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation, led by the FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, the Glynn County Police Department, the Brunswick Police Department, the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office, and the Camden County Sheriff’s Office.
Over a more than two-year period, the investigation identified a sprawling drug trafficking network operating in south Georgia counties including Glynn, Pierce, Camden, Wayne, Treutlen, McIntosh, Toombs, Telfair, Dodge, and Ware. The conspiracy operated inside and outside state prison facilities with assistance from Briley, who worked with an inmate indicted as part of the conspiracy: James D. NeSmith, 25, who currently is serving a life sentence for murder at Telfair State Prison. Including Briley and NeSmith, 76 defendants were indicted on federal charges as part of Operation Ghost Busted.
As noted during her plea hearing, at the time of her arrest, Briley was attending training to become a canine handler and then would have been in a position to further allow contraband in prisons.
Sentencing for Briley will be scheduled after completion of a pre-sentence investigation by U.S. Probation Services.