Charlotte County Correctional Officer Sentenced For Attempting To Smuggle Drugs Into Prison

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Troy Alexander Cole (28, Fort Myers) to three years and five months in federal prison for attempted possession with the intent to distribute MDMA (commonly referred to as “Molly”) and methamphetamine. Cole had entered a guilty plea on April 20, 2022. 

According to court documents, Cole worked as a correctional officer at the Charlotte Correctional Institution (CCI) in Punta Gorda. In June 2021, on three separate occasions, Cole agreed to smuggle methamphetamine or MDMA into the prison where he worked and provide the contraband to an inmate. He agreed to do so in exchange for payments of $400, $1,000, and $4,000, respectively.

On each occasion, Cole picked up a package containing what he believed were the controlled substances and then entered CCI. Cole would then conceal the packages containing the purported controlled substances and notify the inmate that they were available for retrieval.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael V. Leeman.