Thomas Wheeler, 33, a former Hattiesburg police officer, was sentenced to 61 months in federal prison and hit with a $1,500 fine for attempting to possess 50 kilograms or more of marijuana with intent to distribute. The sentencing, handed down yesterday by U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate in Jackson, Mississippi, marks the fall of a man once sworn to uphold the law.
The case traces back to August 8, 2015, when a Mississippi Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a commercial truck exiting Interstate 20 in Warren County. After spotting suspicious behavior, officers deployed a K-9 unit—the dog alerted on the vehicle. Driver Elijah Moore consented to a search. Inside, officers uncovered eight duffle bags stuffed with bricks of marijuana.
Moore admitted he’d hauled the drugs from El Paso, Texas, destined for distribution across Mississippi. He also revealed a crucial detail: he’d exited the interstate to meet his grandson, Thomas Wheeler. At the time, Wheeler was off-duty but still a badge-carrying officer with the Hattiesburg Police Department. Moore said Wheeler had agreed to unload the marijuana and stash it in Seminary, Mississippi, until Moore could retrieve it later.
FBI surveillance caught the handoff. Agents observed a maroon Chevrolet SUV with a Covington County tag parked near the off-ramp—Wheeler’s vehicle. Minutes after the truck stop, the SUV sped off toward Jackson. Authorities pulled it over. Wheeler, the sole occupant, confessed on the spot. He admitted coming to collect the drugs and acknowledged a prior pickup where he paid Moore $3,000 for another load.
Moore had already faced justice. On March 2, 2017, he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute and was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison, plus a $1,500 fine. His cooperation peeled back the curtain on the family-linked trafficking scheme—one that reached inside the ranks of local law enforcement.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Southeast Mississippi Safe Streets Task Force in Hattiesburg, a joint unit comprising FBI agents and officers from the Mississippi State Auditor’s Office, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, and Hattiesburg Police Department. The Mississippi Highway Patrol and Pearl Police Department provided critical support. U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Freeze jointly announced the outcome, underscoring the consequences of betrayal from within the system.
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Key Facts
- State: Mississippi
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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