Jackson, Miss.
A federal judge sentenced Thomas Wheeler, 33, a former Hattiesburg, Mississippi, police officer, to for drug dealing, according to officials.
U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate also fined Wheeler $1,500 fine.
Wheeler admitted attempting to possess 50 kilograms or more of marijuana with the intent to distribute, officials said.
On August 8, 2015, a Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper stopped a commercial truck exiting Interstate 20 in Warren County. After observing suspicious activity, a police dog was walked around the vehicle and alerted on the truck.
The Trooper obtained consent from Elijah Moore, the driver of the truck, to search the vehicle.
Upon searching the truck, officers found 8 duffle bags containing bricks of marijuana.
Subsequently, Moore admitted that he obtained the marijuana from El Paso, Texas, and was transporting it to Mississippi in order to distribute it within the state.
Moore also stated that he had exited the ramp to meet his grandson, Thomas Wheeler. Moore stated that Wheeler had agreed to unload the duffle bags of marijuana and transport them to Seminary, Mississippi, to be picked up by Moore at a later date.
Wheeler was an off-duty Hattiesburg police officer at the time.
Elijah Moore subsequently pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and was sentenced on March 2, 2017, to more than eight years in federal prison and a $1,500 fine, officials stated.
At the time of the stop of Moore, agents saw a maroon Chevrolet SUV with a Covington County license plate parked on the off-ramp on which Moore’s truck was stopped.
Moments after the stop, the maroon Chevrolet left the area on Interstate 20 heading towards Jackson. A traffic stop was later conducted on the maroon Chevrolet and the sole occupant of the vehicle was identified as Thomas Wheeler.
Wheeler admitted that he had come to the location to obtain the marijuana from Moore and that Moore would pick the marijuana up from Wheeler later. Wheeler also admitted to having picked up another load of marijuana from Moore and paid $3,000.00, according to officials.