Former Mississippi Delta Police Chief Pleads Guilty in Drug Trafficking, Bribery Case
Brandon Addison, the former police chief of Hollandale, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of transporting and distributing illegal drugs through portions of the Mississippi Delta and into Memphis via Highway 61, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Mississippi said.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Addison, 41, is the principal defendant in a federal drug trafficking case that names nine former Mississippi Delta law enforcement officers. Prosecutors said he also pleaded guilty to conspiracy and to accepting $37,500 in bribe payments, the largest amount alleged among six indictments unsealed Oct. 30 by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The office said Addison traveled to Miami in April 2023 and September 2024 to meet with FBI agents who were posing as members of a Mexican drug cartel. He was indicted in October on additional counts, including carrying or using a firearm during four drug trafficking runs and while conspiring to traffick illegal drugs; prosecutors said some related charges were dropped as part of his plea agreement.
Senior U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills accepted the guilty plea and set sentencing for Aug. 13, court records show. Mills released Addison on the conditions of a $10,000 unsecured bond after his arrest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Federal sentencing guidelines call for a prison term of between 10 years and life and potential fines up to $10 million, the office said.
The Justice Department said Addison was arrested Oct. 30 along with former Humphreys County sheriff’s deputy Javery Howard, former Washington County Sheriff Milton Gaston, former Washington County sheriff’s deputy Truron Grayson, former Humphreys County Sheriff Bruce Williams, four other former law enforcement officers, a former corrections officer and five associates. The indictment alleges the group aided and abetted the transport and distribution of roughly 55 pounds of cocaine on multiple runs, the department said. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said charges against Washington County sheriff’s deputy Amber Holmes were dropped Oct. 30 after interviews produced exonerating evidence. Howard is scheduled to change his plea on March 26, and other defendants are set for trial July 20 in Oxford.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Addison previously served as a Humphreys County sheriff’s deputy and worked for the police departments in Arcola and Metcalfe. Neither Addison nor his attorney, Taylor Webb, could be reached for comment.
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